Bloody Days
by YumeKoe
Summary: Hiyoshi is hunting. Kirihara is confused. Shishido is finally happy, and Atobe rules all. Kirihara x Hiyoshi x Gakuto? Atobe? Silver Pair. A vampire tale. AU. Sequel to "Bloody Annoyances"
1. Prologue

Title: Bloody Days

Disclaimer: "Prince of Tennis" belongs to Konomi-sensei. I'm merely using the characters because I like to have fun with them.

Summary: Hiyoshi is hunting. Kirihara is confused. Shishido is finally happy, and Atobe rules all. Kirihara x Hiyoshi x Gakuto. Atobe? Silver Pair. A vampire tale. AU.

NOTE: This is a direct sequel to "Bloody Annoyances." I highly recommend reading that first in order for these events to make sense.

* * *

Prologue

The sun was rising, its light shrinking the shadows and sending the creatures dwelling in the night skittering back to their hideouts to wait patiently until dark would once again fall. However, one of these creatures was far from complying with this nature given order as he strode across a surface that could be a road, a tatami floor, or even water as it changed fluidly from one thing to the next. First contact had been made, and the dreamwalker unerringly located the sleeping mind of the mortal hunter he had taken an interest in. Without the family heirlooms protecting the boy's psyche, it was as easy as pushing open a door to slip into the dreamscape and impose his own will onto the fabric of it, calling the young hunter to him.

::::::::::::::::::::

The dawn would be here soon, which meant it was time for the young hunter to put his notes down for the night and sleep. He softly stroked his boyfriend's impossible curls, who was, as usual, nuzzled to his side and stealing his warmth, already sleeping like the dead. He watched him for a while, never tiring of the sight. Hiyoshi felt safe here. Safe in the confines of his family's home and in his vampire's embrace. The last thing the young man thought as he drifted off was that it would be nice to take a walk with his boyfriend as they had that evening, only in the warm rays of the sun.

Dreams that usually consisted of torment and red eyes, only to be forgotten again once he awoke… shifted, as if from one dream to another. Yet this dream was completely foreign to Hiyoshi Wakashi. In the confusing and blurry world of dreams it was hard to tell between reality and fantasy, but a part of him was more aware than he could ever remember being. Blurred eyes blinked as they took in their new empty surrounding and he seemed compelled to go forward, though he had no idea to what destination.

Unconsciously, the boy who thought he was safe within the confines of his family's ancestral home, shifted outwardly in his sleep. He clutched his demon even closer as one would a protective blanket, his brow furrowing as he slipped further into his dream.

"Hiyoshi-kun." A drawling voice purred its siren song and smiled in satisfaction when the young man appeared out of the clouds of his subconscious. "I see you found me." Not everybody could make it this far, not even aided by the trespasser's innate ability bolstering them. But there was no time to lose. Even as they spoke the sun was slowly making its way across the sky, and there was much ground to cover. "Do you know who I am?"

It had all been an indistinct world of confusion to Hiyoshi until that familiar voice called his name, and suddenly everything seemed to straighten out. He turned to face the stranger and eyed him with interest. The shadowy figure slowly coming into focus… He recognized him, but... from where? The way that voice said his name… "I know your voice," was the vague, hesitant answer. There was a spark of recognition, and with the right influence it could flourish into familiarity, and even trust.

"Yes. You do." It would be easy to simply reveal their connection, but the dreamwalker instinctively knew that easy was not the way to go with this human child. The young hunter would have find his own answer, or he would never accept it. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm dreaming." It was an automatic answer that flew from Hiyoshi without a thought. However, the answer was preposterous. His dreams were never this detailed, and even if they were, he would never dream of this person whom made his every nerve stand on guard. But if he was not dreaming, then where was he?

"Correct." The figure, now becoming more clear to the boy nodded and gestured with one hand at the open space surrounding them. Now on to the next, more difficult task of convincing the young hunter to accept and trust him. "Why do you think you are here?"

"Because I'm really fucked up in the head and for some reason my subconscious deemed it necessary to screw with me." At least the established figment of his imagination was only asking easy questions and not something ridiculous like 'how do we obtain world peace?' or 'why are you dating a vampire?'.

"Wrong."

Hiyoshi should not be getting the 411 in his own dream! He didn't even watch quiz shows, although he supposed he preferred this dream to watching his family be slaughtered again. "I'm here to contemplate my life, worth, and aspirations. How the fuck should I know?" Not feeling particularly patient at the moment, he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who brought me here and started asking all the questions. Why don't you tell me?"

"Because you wouldn't trust me if I did." The man smirked ironically, his features now fully coming into view, showing just the tips of his fangs against thin lips. "And because if you don't even manage to grasp this, everything else would be a complete waste of my time." He sighed with a somewhat put upon expression.

It annoyed Hiyoshi how annoyed the other man looked. He was the only one who had the right to be annoyed. This was his dream, after all. What was it he was supposed to grasp? "I wouldn't trust you anyway. Give me one good reason why I should."

The man smiled faintly and shook his head. "How about not having killed you yet."

There was a stagnant pause. "You can't kill me in my own dream," Hiyoshi uttered with some level of confidence, though recently it had come to light that much stranger things could happen, "but if you feel the inclination to try, then by all means, please go right ahead." Death wasn't something he feared and his promise with his boyfriend's sire reassured him that he would have no regrets. "However, if you went to all the trouble of talking to me through my dreams for some significant purpose, despite my lack of trust in you, you might as well go for it."

A condescending smirk passed the man's lips as he flicked a lock of pale hair in vague boredom at the young hunter's obstinacy. "Remember how you know me, then we can talk."

Confused, Hiyoshi wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or stomp his foot in frustration. He had already thought his life felt like a bad soap opera, but this was the first time it actually sounded like one. A betraying part of him felt like he wanted to trust this person who invaded dreams, but his paranoia at losing all he'd already obtained wouldn't let him even harbor the notion. All he could do was nod at the vague instructions. "At least tell me your name."

"Atobe Keigo." Satisfied, the man took the trouble of actually making his image appear to walk towards Hiyoshi and give his shoulder a firm pat. "I look forward to meeting you again, young hunter. I trust you won't be needing too much time. I am quite a busy person after all. And now, I believe it's time for you to wake up."

* * *

Author's Note: Wow, I didn't think there was any way I was actually going write this but now I'm really excited and happy I am. Thank you so much for reading and thank you to my beta for helping my story make sense. Questions? Comments? Please!


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

There had been a lot of them. Vampires. The hunter found their nest and disposed of them. The wounds he'd attained in battle might have killed any other man, but not him. Nothing could kill him. As he walked dispassionately around them, retrieving his sai, a few stakes, and what was left of his other weapons, the injuries on his own body started to close, healing un-naturally. The hunter's usually wheaton blond hair was dyed red with the blood of the corpses that lay around him, his eyes just as dead.

To kill. To die. Those ideas held no meaning for him anymore. Hiyoshi Wakashi was a great hunter; he was very good at what he did, as expected from a Hiyoshi. He descended from an ancient family who taught him from a very young age how to survive against forces most people quipped as fantasy, and children feared were lurking under their beds.

Death meant freedom, something he hadn't felt in... how long had it been? He could scarcely remember his age. What did age matter when you didn't do it? Stuck in the same body he'd had for the last thirty some odd years.

This was disgusting. His life was disgusting, filled with nothing but blood and vengeance, plagued by regret. The pain had once bled like an open wound, urging him forward. His thirst for revenge, he knew, could only be quenched by killing the thing that had killed his family. Over years of training and hunting, that pain had rusted and solidified in his chest. His heart no longer bled, just weighed down in his chest like lead, making him feel as dead as the things he killed.

Off to his side were cages where the vampires had kept their food supply, or what remained of it. Humans. All dead. He'd been too late this time to save any of them.

The head of one of the vampires he'd decapitated was kicked aside as he removed silver chains from the head's body, uncaring of the metal spikes cutting into his skin. The questioning had gotten old. None of them ever knew where to find the vampire he was looking for. Go through the motions, that's all he could do, all he could handle without going mad.

The vampires were almost too easy to kill. The ones that still hunted humans like animals were too obvious with their habits, especially the younger ones, but they weren't all he hunted. Although it seemed most supernatural creatures had adjusted to a way of life that did not include manslaughter, there were always the ones who couldn't seem to get with the times.

Werewolves were the hunter's particular favorite to hunt, not a challenge to spot but to catch. He had to be clever and know how to lure it, while hopefully not getting himself bit in the process. It was the shifters and other less prominent supernatural beings that gave him trouble and required an annoying amount of research. He'd made a lot of mistakes, both in hunting and life. The worst part was he knew if he could do it all over again, he probably would have made the same decisions.

Ignoring the stench and eerie silence, he sat hard on the ground and waited for the wounds to finish healing themselves. He'd finally given up on ever discovering why he couldn't die. The pain was there, it was always there, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain he felt every time he closed his eyes and a pair of green eyes and smirking lips haunted him. It didn't matter that it had been a lifetime since he'd seen... him.

He stood abruptly, grabbed his things and left the old barn house. A match was lit and thrown behind him, setting the place ablaze in minutes. His mind was no longer focused on the kill of the day, instead haunted by memories of when his life had first started to change into this. Back before he knew what being a hunter really meant.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Ago

Hiyoshi smiled as he ravaged his lover's neck with kisses, loving the feel and taste of him while his hips picked up the pace of their lovemaking, trying to drive both himself and the vampire in his arms towards their limits. "Ah... Akaya..."

"Yes..."

His vampire lover moved with him perfectly, voice coming out in loud drawn out moans, making his whole body vibrate. Those sounds alone could drive him crazy. Roughly pulling Akaya's leg to the side, a little bit higher to get that much deeper, he rocked into him while gasping his lover's name between moans. The pleasure finally took him and he pounded into him continuously until finally collapsing next to him. Akaya cried out under him, then immediately curled up, cuddling him at his side, looking quite sated.

"Mmm... I love you..."

Hiyoshi blushed, knowing in his heart that Akaya meant every word, and so did he. "Me too..."

The silver earring cuff he usually wore that protected his thoughts was stowed away for now. He'd been taking it off more and more, but only inside the house where he was presumably still protected from outside influences. It still wasn't the smartest idea, but it made Akaya happy. Truth be told, in doing so, it made him happy too.

After they were rested and showered, Hiyoshi brought Akaya into one of the other buildings on the grounds of his family's large home. This was, or used to be, his family's practice dojo. The place where generations of Hiyoshi's had trained to become hunters. Although his family had been brutally murdered by the vampire's they hunted, as the sole surviving heir, it was his duty to carry on their legacy and avenge them. Since getting the house back, he'd spent a lot of time cleaning it up and making it ready to train in again. The wooden walls and floors gave it the same look of any other traditional martial arts dojo in Japan. Though what was taught there was very different.

Akaya looked around the room curiously. "Woah... Old school."

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes. "Don't touch anything." Not that there was much to touch. The room was completely bare. Walking to a corner of the room, he placed a hand on one of the wooden boards. He would have been embarrassed to admit how long it had taken him to remember and find which one it was. Pushing it back and to the side, a panel of the wall swung open like any other closet.

"I told you not to touch anything!" Hiyoshi barked out as Akaya hissed and jumped back after following him over. The walls were lined with silver, so was the closet. The touch of silver burned vampires.

"What's that?" Akaya pouted, but stepped back, keeping his distance this time as Hiyoshi pulled a crate forward. Hiyoshi flipped the silver latches, and then opened it.

"These are what's left of my family's weapons." What hadn't been found in the house and disposed of. There were quite a few of them, all of varying shapes and sizes. He took out a small mini scythe with wood pointed edges and silver handles. The wooden tips were dyed a telling color of red. "This was my favorite practice toy when I was a kid." He showed his boyfriend proudly.

Akaya looked terrified as he backed away.

Hiyoshi shook his head, unimpressed by his supernatural boyfriend's display of courage. "I already have basic knowledge of how to use most of these... and I have books to help me further." He twirled the mini scythe between his fingers and around his wrist as easy as if it were a pen. "But I need real practice..."

"...Eh?" His boyfriend looked pale as he backed up further towards the door.

The young and inexperienced hunter rolled his eyes. "Get back here, idiot. I already told you I'm not going to kill you."

"There are things a whole lot worse than death..." His vampire boyfriend mumbled.

Sighing, Hiyoshi put the weapon back in the box. "Look. I need a practice partner, someone who can fight and has the strength of a 're all I've got. Can you do that?"

It took a minute, but finally Akaya nodded. "Yeah... but... are you gonna hit me with those?" He pointed to his weapons box with wide eyes.

"You really think I could land a hit on you?" Hiyoshi asked doubtfully. He'd never been able to in the past. Akaya was probably just scared of pointy things. "I suppose I could find a way to make practice ones, out of plastic or something. That way it wouldn't really hurt you, right?"

"You're from an old family of hunters... I'm betting you can land a hit. Ryou told me something about them being stronger than other humans or something like that once... I think." He shrugged, obviously not caring about anything Shishido might have told him. "Plastic wouldn't do any lasting damage. Silver can take months to heal from..."

The martial artist from an ancient hunter family face-palmed. "Fine. Then I'll figure out a way to find practice weapons." Akaya was so infuriating sometimes. "And save these for when you annoy me."

The green-eyed demon looked like he a deer caught in the headlights.

Hiyoshi laughed. "Joking, idiot." He kissed him quickly on the lips, then pulled back with an excited gleam in his eye. "Let's get started."

"Yeah... alright."

"I think practicing in here should be fine, just be careful not to be thrown against the wall or into the closet. Hmm..." He looked at Akaya appraisingly and almost laughed out loud at the wide eyed look he was given again, before his brat's brow furrowed and his face took on a pout."

"...Sadistic mushroom..."

Still grinning, the young hunter reached back into his box of treats to see if there was anything that wouldn't hurt his boyfriend too badly. Not finding anything, he walked over to a different wall and pulled that one open. Some shuriken and sai caught his eye. Not ideal, but still fun. "How well do you handle steel?" He called out, turning back and testing the weight of them in his hands.

"Steel is fine." Akaya called back, pulling his shirt off and looking like he was about to... stretch? This wasn't aerobics.

Obviously his boyfriend didn't realize how serious he was about this. "Good." He flung the shuriken at him with pinpoint accuracy, then immediately ran for him to the side where he anticipated Akaya would dodge to. He was mistaken, though not about the dodging part. He looked up at the ceiling to raise an eyebrow at him. "Remember, this is a very heavily protected room. The ceiling is lined with silver unless anyone tries to break in from above."

"Don't surprise me like that! I... EH! Owowowowow!" The scary and fearsome vampire fell to the floor with a thud. Looked back up at the ceiling, then to him. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?"

Hiyoshi smirked. "Why don't you try attacking me instead of running away?"

Still grumbling, Akaya moved. He was behind Hiyoshi in an instant, trying to kick his legs out from under him, but the hunter had anticipated that. He let himself go with the fall and twisted his body, kicking out into a one handed back flip while throwing shurikan at where Akaya's form was still standing to put space between them. He positioned his weapon for the next attack.

Green eyes now watched him more sharply, staying back. Hiyoshi wanted to smack him. "It's not much of a practice if you just keep dodging."

"Don't you know you're supposed to assess a situation before attacking? Besides... you have sharp pointy things..."

That was rich coming from Akaya of all people. "Heh. I think I've "assessed" you enough." He smirked. "And the steel pointy things won't hurt you nearly as much as your bare hands can hurt me, so don't give me that."

Akaya stuck his tongue out at him. "Hey, you can put an eye out with those things..."

Hiyoshi loosened his stance and glared at him. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Akaya was behind him in a instant, pushing him down on the floor in a half-nelson, his face almost against the floor and one arm caught behind his back. "You let your guard down~" He sang in a sing song voice.

"No. I didn't." Hiyoshi gritted out between bared teeth. "Look down." The arm Akaya held hostage was now holding his sai in basic back hold form. He'd flopped it the instant there was movement, almost by instinct. It was pressed right up against Akaya's heart. The other hand was prepped and ready at the side. If Akaya tried to move that way, he'd impale himself on Hiyoshi's weapon.

"You're hot when you're kicking ass..."

"Are you giving me permission to kick your ass more often?" Hiyoshi stomped down on his foot hard with his heel to distract the vampire, then slid forward and down into a somersault out of the hold. Without pause, he used the moment to turn and make a clean swipe towards his neck.

There was a little disgruntled yelp as Akaya fell back, barely missing the attack, giving Hiyoshi just enough time to jab forward and twirl around to try and stab him in the back. Akaya's speed was hard to catch up with though and he was already away and to the other side of the room. He wasn't going to let him go too far, releasing shinai as he ran.

"Ack!"

Akaya made a forward dash for him. Perfect. His sai flashed out just in time, posed at his heart and neck. Akaya froze and jumped back. "I would typically go for a jab or slice to the neck so I can tear out your jugular, but I assume there are better regions?" He couldn't hide his wide grin, posed still for incoming attack.

"Twisted son of a... You're having way too much fun with this..." Akaya said from his position hanging on the wall. When had he grabbed his shirt to use like gloves?

Hiyoshi shrugged. He'd improved a lot since he'd started training again. The moves coming back to him as if he'd never left. "You're the one who insisted on staying with me." He proceeded to run up the wall, trying to reach Akaya before backflipping off of it, attempting to kick and slash at him in mid-air.

Apparently that hadn't been the brightest idea. Akaya's foot moved and kicked him in the stomach, helping gravity along. "Umph!" He managed to land on his feet but buckled down a bit, then looked up at Akaya with a half leering excited smile.

"Wakashi... You have issues."

Hiyoshi laughed and let himself fall back on the floor, needing to catch his breath. He decided to let that statement go unanswered. "Come here." He indicated with a finger for him to come closer.

"I don't wanna..."

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously scared of me? When we first met, you had me helpless against a building in one second flat." He didn't like to think about that, however he didn't have his weapons at the time...

"You weren't holding anything that had the potential to be shoved through my heart... and I think you liked me better then..." He grumbled but did come closer.

Hiyoshi chuckled. "I liked you better when I didn't even know you and thought you were going to kill me?"

"Yup." Akaya plopped down beside him.

"Maybe you're right." The martial artist grinned wide and twirled the sai expertly in his hands into basic stab hold and brought it to the side of Akaya's neck. "Don't move." He laid Akaya on his back and leaned over him. Slowly, he slid his middle finger slightly to the left of its proper position and presses down. The middle section of the sai elongated to the perfect length to cut off a head. "Huh. Always wondered why our sai's did that." He retracted the blade and smiled down his boyfriend as if he'd made some amazing discovery.

Hiyoshi's gleeful grin turned to concern in an instant. Akaya was frozen stiff under him and his vampire shivered as the sai was removed. What alarmed Hiyoshi more than anything though was the red glow of his eyes. Setting his weapons down completely, he cupped Akaya's cheek. "Hey... Are you okay?" Maybe he'd gotten a little too carried away with his toys...

He watched his boyfriend closely as Akaya closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. "Yeah... I'm fine..." He murmured.

Not believing him, Hiyoshi reached up and removed the cuff on his ear. Suddenly he could feel Akaya's fear, though he wasn't sure what he was afraid of. There was no way he could be afraid of someone like him. He wasn't any good at knowing or understanding any of this "connection" stuff, but he tried to let Akaya know he was concerned. Akaya eyes popped back open, his eyes turning green as he smiled a little and leaned into his touch.

The young hunter couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed and didn't quite meet his eyes. "This is... kinda fun for me. All the toys I played with when I was a kid were toy versions of all my weapons..." He wasn't going to go into specifics on just how weird his family was. "I know that's weird... but it's been a long time since I got to play with them..."

"It's alright..." His boyfriend seemed to be back to his normal silly self again. "It's nice to see you so happy..." He leaned up to kiss him.

Hiyoshi tilted his head back and smirked. "You sure you want to kiss a man with sharp pointy things?"

"Hm... Well, as long as they stay away from me I don't care."

"Well, in that case," he dragged him up for that kiss, smiling into it, feeling genuinely happy. Especially when Akaya moaned his approval and returned his kisses.

He held impossible curls captive in a firm grip, and let himself explore the inside of Akaya's mouth thoroughly, specifically his fangs. He ran his tongue up and down them, careful to avoid the tip, knowing how much Akaya liked and hated when he did this. He continued with each fang until his boyfriend was begging with his moans and whimpers for more.

Very carefully, he pressed just slightly over the tip of one fang, letting the tiniest drop of blood trickle out. "Do you want more of that?" He asked with a wide grin while backing away.

He watched as Akaya savored that drop of blood and nodded. He sat up slowly, watching his prey, the vampire's whole body looking like it was ready to pounce him. He'd just had a teasing taste of his favorite treat, and Hiyoshi knew it would take a lot more than that to curb his cravings.

The young hunter took a few more steps back away, picking up his sai in the process and getting back into a defensive position. "Then come and take it." He grinned playfully at him.

"So mean..." but the words were nothing compared to the spectacularly large and evil smile on that demonic face.

Oh, shit. Hiyoshi waited for his chance to either attack, defend... or escape.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Later

Walking in the door of the cheap hotel he was currently staying at, Hiyoshi dropped his bag beside the horrible pastel flower-patterned bed before collapsing down onto it. Though his body was cursed with a strange healing ability and aging no longer seemed an option, that didn't mean he wasn't still susceptible to the aches and pains of sore muscles after a hunt. He was still human after all, or so he hoped. His heart still beat, his blood still ran warm, and he still had to shave. What had happened to turn him into this? What cosmic deity hated him so much that they thought he deserved the one thing he never wanted? Life.

He clenched the knife that hid under his pillow, ready for whatever was in his room to make its move. He had sensed it the minute he'd walked in the door. 'Damn it, never mind death. Am I not even allowed to sleep?'

"For fucks sake Piyo, if it wasn't for your sexy ass and tasty blood, I would say you were the biggest buzz kill of the century. You're not even doing anything and you're makin me depressed."

The hand on his knife loosened and Hiyoshi buried his face in the pillow, hoping it would suffocate him. It hadn't worked the last couple of times, but he could still hope.

A familiar weight settled on his back, straddling his hips, and rocking as if he were a rocking horse. "Awwww... don't be like that, Piyo-chan! Not when I've come all this way to see you and bring you back!" Annoying fingers jabbed at his sides and into his spine. "Hey... you don't mind if I..."

He just wanted to sleep. It was almost dawn anyway. Turning onto his back, he had his uninvited guest by the neck in an instant. Two little twin fangs were halted in their descent towards his neck. "Not right now, Gakuto. I'm tired. Go find some defenseless prostitute to suck on."

"Hm... Maybe later." Gakuto grinned wickedly down at him and wiggled his hips. "Right now I want to suck on you." Long black lashes bordering dark red eyes batted at him and his friend's porcelain white skin and baby doll cheeks made him look like an expensive china doll. He could easily be mistaken for a girl with his wiry frame and bobbed head of un-natural burgundy hair.

It only took a flick of his wrist on that tiny fragile neck to break it. Gakuto wouldn't be bothering him anymore tonight. He got up to make sure the doors and windows were bolted shut and no light would come into the room during the day before going back to the bed.

Gakuto's body was small and cold against his as he got them under the covers, but he didn't mind. It reminded him of someone else. Holding him tightly and breathing in deeply, he tried to just sleep, and not think about the person whom he imagined was in his arms.

* * *

Author's Note: Yay! Got it up fast! Hopefully the next one won't be too far behind. Soooo... What do you think? Did you see that coming? I'm dying to know everyone's thoughts! I was really torn about taking the story in this direction, but... it gives me the perfect opportunity to bring in A LOT of other characters! XD


	3. Interlude: Reborn in Red

Interlude: Gakuto

Reborn in Red

Alone and cold, a young boy, no older than his mid-teens, was curled up into a ball underneath a broken umbrella on the side streets of Osaka. His shirt seemed about two sizes too small for him, revealing an overly petite, pale, and bruised torso. The faded jeans he wore were ripped at the knees and hung low on his hips. His small frame shivered as the cold wind found him, blowing stringy red hair off his face to reveal smudged dirty cheeks. Large oval eyes blinked open, angry red glared at the world for all it had done to him in his short and shitty life.

He remembered back to when his mother was still alive. She'd been a whore, and a bitchy alcoholic, but she used to hold him and sing songs to him when he was scared. After she died, it was either let the government fuck him over, or his mother's clients. The cheap fuck who'd just fucked his ass had barely even given him enough to eat for the next few days. No way in hell could he afford a motel for the night. He'd hoped to at least get away from the howling winds.

It was already late into the evening, but the stars were covered by ominous clouds that threatened to rain on him. 'Stupid rain.' The shivering boy hated rain. Rain meant everything became cold and wet. It meant freezing under whatever shelter he could find, and having to defend himself from whatever else got caught in it.

"Well, well... Look what I've found. A poor little stray..." a feminine voice carried on the wind, invading his privacy.

"Get lost, bitch. Find your own damn space." He was not in the mood for company. "Unless you're willing to pay for it." She looked like a hooker, an expensive one. Maybe a hostess. Her dress was midnight blue with a slit clear up her thigh. Her figure would make any man stop to look twice. She had dark red hair, similar to his own, and blood red lips. Her lipstick looked a little smeared. He didn't usually see women on streets like this. Damn it, she could probably afford a decent motel for the night.

Tinkling laughter fell from her lips, pissing him off. "I just had a full and savory meal."

"Good for you." She was annoying.

"Where is your mother, little lamb? Aren't you a little too young to be shivering in the streets all by yourself?"

"That's none of your damn business!" Fucking whores. They never knew when to shut up and leave him the hell alone. He didn't need anyone to tell him how fucked up his life was. He'd show them all one day. He'd show them that he wasn't just a plaything for perverted bastards and rich women with weird hobbies.

"Such a pretty thing you are, underneath all that dirt." The woman reached out to touch his hair. Her hand was cold as ice.

He jerked away as if stung. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise!"

"I do so like pretty things... I can just imagine how beautiful you'd look, covered in blood to match your hair and eyes." There was a stagnant pause, just long enough for him to think that he might want to run. "I've always wanted a child." The attack came without warning. Possibly the most terrifying moment of his life. His broken umbrella went clattering to the side and he caught a flash of pearly white fangs before they sank down into his neck.

He couldn't move, could barely even think past the fear and pain. He started to cry out loudly for help, but bit his own lip as it occurred to him that there was no one else around. Even if there was, no one would help him. Tears gathered at his eyes, not sure what was happening, but feeling himself growing weaker. Fuck. He was gonna die. He didn't want to die.

His body felt limp when she pulled back, her lips bloodied with his blood. "I knew you'd be beautiful. Don't cry, little lamb. I'm going to give you a gift."

She was a whack job. He was going to be killed by a whack job whore in an alley in Osaka. Fuck his life. Not having the strength to answer her, he could only watch with anger and confusion as she bit and tore at her own wrist. The bloody wrist was then held to his lips. "Drink if you want to live."

Why... Why did everything in his life have to be so messed up? He didn't want to die.

The blood was sick and disgusting on his tongue, and then the world blazed with color. He wanted more. He didn't want to die. He barely noticed as her fangs sunk back into his neck, taking from him as he took from her. His consciousness began to fade, and everything went black.

Darkness. That's all he saw. Terrifying darkness. He tried to claw his way back, but there was nothing to cling to. He couldn't feel anything, not even the cold. There was no sound, a deathly silence that went on forever.

Then he woke up.

His senses returned all at once, but they were too much. The world was too loud, too bright, and it smelled like shit. He couldn't breath. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He tried to take in air but it didn't work. It was like breathing underwater. Everything burned. His eyes focused.

Brown eyes he didn't recognize accompanied a serious expression that gazed back at him. Looking to the side, the woman that had done this to him was on the ground, a wooden stake through her heart. He felt alone, so very alone. More tears gathered in his eyes, and he let them fall, not knowing they were made of blood.

"I don't want to die... Please..." He reached out for the stranger and saw another stake in the man's hand pointed at his chest. The tears fell harder. It hurt, his insides burned, calling for something, though he wasn't sure what. The man stood as if to leave. "No! Please... Don't leave me..." Not alone. Anything but that... "Fine. Kill me if you want... just don't leave me... I don't want to be alone..."

The man stiffened, staring at him. A moment stretched out into another eternity and he knew if he didn't have it soon... he would go mad. The burning feeling was growing, almost completely consuming him now. A knife flashed as the man cut open his own wrist and pressed it against his mouth. "If you want to live, then drink." Oh, the irony.

Oh, fuck. It was better than sex. He drank fully, losing track of everything else. The man's blood filled him, becoming his air, making him strong. He felt connected to him, like he'd never felt connected to anyone before, which was pretty damn obvious cause he was pretty sure he'd never drank anyone's blood before that night.

The man started to weaken. He could feel it, but he couldn't stop. "Akaya..." He heard a voice call. That wasn't his name, and he ignored it. The guy's heart beat as if it were his own, until it stopped. Then he knew the man was dead.

The boy cried out, shoving away from dead brown eyes, scared as hell. Like a frightened animal, he coward against the wall, whimpering and trying to breath, but nothing happened. All he felt inside was a horrifying stillness. He looked around as if he'd never been there before. Everything looked so different. The two bodies at his feet. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't. He wanted... no, he needed to help them... He belonged to them. Where had this come from?

He glanced over at the woman, but kneeled down beside the man. As if knowing exactly what to do, acting on instinct, he cut open his wrist with his teeth. How the hell did he do that? Then placed it against his lips. It'd worked for him, right?

The blood had barely touched the man's lips when those serious brown eyes popped back open and stared at him. For a split second as they looked at each other, for the first time in his life, the boy knew that he'd be okay. This person would take care of him. Then reality sunk back in as he was pushed away roughly and fell back.

"Ow! I was just trying to help, you bastard!" Why had he tried to help him? No idea.

The man scrutinized him for another moment, then fell back with a huff. "Shit."

"Yeah... This is the shittiest night ever," the redhead had to agree. He curled up in fetal position and tried not to let the still nagging fear overwhelm him. This was all too weird. "I think I'm dead. I thought I killed you, too, but you look pretty alive for a dead guy. What the hell? Fucking woman. This is why I only sleep with men. At least I always know what they want. Damn, it's cold. You don't happen to have a place to stay for the night, do you?" He looked at the man with hopeful glowing red eyes.

The man snorted... then chuckled. Then he started laughing. Really creepy laughing. No expression or happy kind of laughing.

"Uhh... Okay..." The man was as insane as the dead lady. Great. Looking him over, he noticed the guy looked as ragged as he felt. Dressed in old faded clothes and with dark circles under his eyes. His hair was weird, too. Looked like a mushroom. Had a nice face though, if you could ignore the bland expression.

The laugh stopped suddenly and there was silence. The weird mushroom man stood up and started walking away. What the hell? "Hey! Wait for me!" He called and ran after him, not having any idea why. "Woah!" He'd run so fast that he'd tripped over his own feet. "Ouch... Shit!" He got back up quickly, feeling really light on his feet, and followed along behind him.

The mushroom man stayed silent all the way back to the hotel he must have been staying at, but when the confused boy tried to walk into the room after him, something blocked him. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He yelled loudly for the entire motel to hear, and banged on the invisible wall separating him from inside.

It was then that the mushroom finally looked back at him with a bored look. "What's your name?"

The boy stopped, surprised at the question. No one had asked him that in a really long time. "What's yours?" He asked instead, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to sound tough while leaning on the weird invisible wall. Brown eyes wouldn't get anything out of him until he answered first.

"Hiyoshi."

"Hiyoshi what?"

"Just Hiyoshi."

"Gakuto."

"Gakuto what?"

"Just Gakuto." He stuck his tongue out at him.

The mushroom smirked. The first real expression Gakuto had seen on him. After another minute of just standing there and getting annoyed, he thought Hiyoshi was just messing with him and going to tell him to fuck off. "Look you ba-!"

"Come in, Gakuto."

The barrier he'd been leaning against was suddenly gone. He fell in with an "oof!"

The guy, Hiyoshi, came closer. "Come on. Let's go to sleep." He ruffled his hair and closed the door.

Gakuto blinked in surprise. That was it? That was all they were gonna do? What the hell?! Sleep? Who could sleep? He hadn't ever been so awake in his life! It was time to... a wave of drowsiness hit him so suddenly it knocked him out cold, and he was dead to the world.

Morning had come.

* * *

Author's Note: I noticed in "Bloody Annoyances" that many people were interested in some of the back-stories of other characters. Every other chapter or so I will be posting interludes containing some of those. ^_^ Please review!


	4. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"You killed me, you Bastard!" The red-headed nuisance named Gakuto proclaimed loudly in the twenty-four hour diner for all the other customers to hear. No one would guess this loud and obnoxious customer was actually a blood sucking creature of the night.

Technically, Hiyoshi thought to himself, he hadn't killed him. Being a vampire, the redhead was already dead. He'd only broken Gakuto's neck the previous night to shut him up and put him to sleep. He was perfectly fine by the next evening.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me, mushroom face!"

The fries were good here. One came flying at him, so he caught it and stuffed it in his mouth. Hiyoshi hated going out to eat. He hated eating. However, Gakuto insisted until Hiyoshi would rather hack off his own ears than hear the banshee-like whining. Once or twice, he'd curiously considered actually cutting off one of his ears to see if would grow back. Hiyoshi had pretty much been cut up and drained of blood in every other way possible, and come back from it, so why wouldn't his ear regenerate? The only reason he didn't do it was because if, by some chance, he lost the other ear in battle, he'd never be able to hear the answers from the vampires he interrogated.

Hiyoshi was not in denial of the truth: he'd known for many years now that he'd gone crazy. Gakuto, though insane amounts of annoying, was the only person still willing to handle his company for extended amounts of time. Also, the young vampire was the only one capable anymore of amusing him, if only through sheer amounts of stupidity and stubbornness. It had been nearly five years now since he'd found him. A young boy left to whore himself out on the street, and then later left to rot and die. Killed, and turned, for the amusement of a vampire.

Hiyoshi had personally seen to their end.

He should have killed the already half-turned fifteen-year-old boy. Should have ended it there for him, but he couldn't. Those glowing red eyes had looked up at him in the dark, desperate and needy, telling him fiercely that he wanted to live. In that moment, he could only see another pair of desperate and needy red eyes... telling him not to leave him, not to abandon him. So, what had he done? He'd done the worst thing possible. He'd given his own blood to finish the process in order to keep the kid alive, making himself at least partially the boy's sire, then taken him home with him.

"Ow! What the fuck!" The hunter cursed loudly. The damn brat had stepped on his foot. Pest had heels like daggers.

"We're going home after this town, right? No more stopping to kill whatever weird thing you find next." Chipmunk cheeks were puffed out as he nagged him.

A waitress came to their table and refilled his coffee. Thank the heavens, or hells, that had a hand in bringing this amazing caffeinated beverage into his life. The bitter liquid was scalding hot on his tongue and he drank it like water.

Gakuto's attentions had also been distracted by something savory. Looking every bit the perverted teenager, he eyed the waitress like an afternoon snack, licking his lips, the tips of tiny fangs poking out. Hiyoshi rolled his eyes. Gakuto was perhaps the most foul gutter-minded individual he'd ever had the displeasure of associating himself with, but that look he knew was not for lust. He was hungry.

Hiyoshi's lips twisted up into a smirk. It was probably because he hadn't fed him last night or this morning. The kid had been only partially sired by a vampire. A vampire who probably didn't even know what she was doing. Over the years, he'd learned a lot about the transformation, and even witnessed a few. It involved the sire feeding his own blood to his victim, enough for the healing factor to kick in strong enough for it to continue working even after the heart stopped. The stronger the sire, the stronger the child. If he hadn't fed the dying kid his own blood, the small body would have shut down until he either died slowly and painfully, or he might have gone on a bloody rampage, killing everything in sight.

The outcome had been that the red-headed pain in his ass was pretty much the lowest on the totem pole when it came to strength. He barely had more strength than a regular human, and his fangs were so small that feeding was sometimes difficult. Feeding on primarily female victims was his only option. Still, he was light on his feet, practically light as a feather. Incredibly fast, he could jump so high it sometimes looked like he was flying. His vocal cords, while not owed to his transformation, were perhaps his greatest weapon.

It had been strange at first, having someone else in his life again, and Hiyoshi had considered killing him on multiple occasions. In some ways, though, it was nice taking care of someone again. He'd eventually gotten used to the young vampire's presence. Having Gakuto around gave him a purpose other than just revenge and his own self-destruction. Though he was annoying as hell at times, and most of the time threatened to drive him mad, it was better than feeling nothing while on his own.

"You didn't have to come, you know. I would have made it back eventually." Except they both knew that wasn't the case. 'Home' wasn't really his home. It belonged to the man who had trained him to be who he was today. The one whom he owed everything he'd achieved so far to. He hated it, but what choice did he have? There was no where else for him, for them, to go.

"It's boring when you leave. No one to pick on." His chipmunk muttered, playing with Hiyoshi's food and staring at it longingly. He'd assessed that during life Gakuto had a love for cheeseburgers. "Then Atobe forced me out when he caught me playing with his pet."

Hiyoshi snorted and shook his head. "So that's why you're here. You're lucky you got out with your head. You know better than to mess with Jirou."

The immature vampire stuck his cherry red tongue out at him, then looked around, presumably for a meal of his own.

Opening the local paper, the hunter did a quick scan for recent strange deaths in the area. "Here's something. A girls body was found ripped to shreds, presumably eaten, in a lake that doesn't have any creatures known for that kind of thing."

"No!" The vampire boy whined loudly, obviously very upset at the idea of taking more time to hunt instead of going back home. "We're going back! I'm sick of fucking hotel rooms and being dirt ass broke."

Hiyoshi smirked. "It would go faster if you helped me." After a few years of painful training, Gakuto was now, at the very least, a somewhat passable lacky.

"Ew. No way. Not after last time. You're on your own." Such a loyal pet.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Ago

It was cold enough outside now that even Hiyoshi was shivering in the cool night air. Recently, the only time the young hunter was able to take a break from his training to relax was during his and Akaya's evening walks, a time Hiyoshi looked forward to. It was their time to enjoy each other's company outside of the house. They laughed and held hands, like any other couple. Akaya complained about the cold and Hiyoshi held him close, kissing his head and teasing him. Sometimes their walks ended up going for much longer than he'd intended, but he never truly minded.

He'd just had that strange dream again. A man, a vampire, claiming to know him. The first time Hiyoshi had it was a month ago, and twice since then. Every time, it became clearer in his head. The previous night, he'd finally remembered who he was. Strange that after all this time, his brain had decided to remind him. 'Atobe Keigo,' his mind supplied. A friend of his mother's, if he remembered right, in which case it was impossible that he was a vampire. They were hunters after all.

It was time to become a real hunter. To become what his parents and brother were before him. What his fate had led him to be. The question though, was... how? He only had memories of the most rudimentary training that had taken place during his childhood, and there was no one else alive that he knew who could train him properly. His boyfriend, to be perfectly straight about it, was a horrible training partner, and even worse teacher. Books and knowledge only got him so far.

Akaya froze at his side and growled. Before Hiyoshi even had a chance to see what or who he was growling at, he was being pushed behind his boyfriend protectively. They had almost made it back to the house, too. In fact, it was right in front of them. As he tried to see around the defensive vampire, he could just make out the outline of someone standing at the entrance gate.

"Akaya, do you know who's at my front door?" He was annoyed at having been pushed back. He didn't like to be protected like that, but was trying to learn to accept it to some extent.

"That's a vampire, Wakashi. I don't know him." Akaya's own fangs were bared and red eyes glared threateningly at the stranger who had spotted them.

As he came closer, Hiyoshi could feel a sense of dread run up his spine. It couldn't be. It had just been a dream. The man stopped, still a few yards away from them. Their eyes locked and recognition hit. It was Atobe-san.

"My business is not with you." Those eyes, cold as icicles, completely dismissed Akaya in favor of him. Hiyoshi could feel his insides freezing with that familiar voice. As a child he'd been terrified of this person.

"If you have business with Wakashi, you have business with me. Who the hell are you?" Akaya growled out roughly. Hiyoshi didn't need to not be wearing his silver cuffs to sense Akaya's fear. He held onto his arm in hopes to keep him from doing anything stupid.

Atobe's eyes flashed over to Akaya, narrowing slightly, then ignored him as one would a fly. "Why do you let the vermin speak for you, young hunter?"

That kind of pissed him off, especially since the vampire kinda had a point. He took a bold step out from behind Akaya, not wanting to act the part of a coward. "I haven't determined yet whether your worth speaking to." He snorted mockingly.

The answer seemed only to please the stranger. "Is that so..."

"Um... Wakashi... do you know him?"

"No." "Yes."

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow and completely pushed Akaya to the side. "It doesn't matter who you are.  
Vampires are not welcome in my home. I'll ask you to please leave." He wasn't prepared to deal with another vampire.

"Really now. What about your little protector?"

"An exception."

"Ah." The man threw back his hair in a disturbing creepy manor. Almost like a model in a hair commercial. "He's good in the sack then?"

Now Hiyoshi was ready to sick Akaya on him. "What the hell do you want?"

"You certainly didn't inherit your temperament from your mother. Shame." There was clear disappointment in his tone. "The prodigal son of the Hiyoshi clan has miraculously survived and returned. I have an oath to fulfill, and if you're worthy of your name, I will carry out my promise."

The mention of his mother caught Hiyoshi off guard, making him hesitate before asking. "What promise would that be?"

"To train you."

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Later

Gakuto picked up a small stone and threw it into the lake. Hiyo was being an ass and ignoring him again. True, he was in the middle of battling some crazy water demon that kinda looked like the creepy love child of an ugly bearded man and the Loch Ness monster, but whatever. The redhead was sitting on the bench by the lake that some girl had been attacked on. Why did he always have to be the bate?

"Eek!" He pulled his legs up and out of the way as the water splashed up in front of him. Hiyoshi emerged, wrapped around the slimy fish man thing, trying to cut it's head off. "Hey! I'm sittin here!"

The mushroom glanced over at him with a funny glower on his face. "You could always help me, you know!" He yelled at him before being pulled back under the water.

Gakuto's nose wrinkled up. Yeah, right. Like he was gonna go get tossed around by Ugly Fish Man. He wasn't a hunter. Not his job. Hiyo looked pretty dumb being thrown around like that. Usually he could make fun of him, but this was just pathetic.

He picked up another rock. When the fishman was dragged back out of the water again, he took aim and fired, hitting it in the back of the head. HA! His look of victory turned to wide eyed terror though as the sea monster turned toward him, finding its next target.

Just as he was about to bolt, a blade slit across the blue scaly throat and hacked at it until the fish head fell off its shoulders and plopped back into the lake with a splash. Hiyoshi was behind it, attempting not to drown, clutching his sai.

As Hiyoshi came out of the water, looking like a drowned rat, Gakuto retreated back, not wanting to get sprayed by a stray drop of water. The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot in frustration at the edge of the lake. "Okay. NOW can we go home?"


	5. Interlude: Back in the Day

Interlude: Shishido

Back in the Day

The sakura were in bloom again and spring was in the air. It was around the year 795, and the Heian period under Emperor Kammu had just begun. Hundreds of people, of all social backgrounds and skill, littered the streets of Heian-kyo. It was the capital city which, many hundreds of years later, would eventually be known as Kyoto.

Couples wandered the the newly developed streets of the city, roaming the markets. They did not touch, of course, but the sneaking glances shared spoke volumes to the young boy that was dressed in a gorgeous kimono. He was an asobi, an entertainer, though his entertaining was always of a base, sexual nature. His profession was not one he chose, but one that he was trapped in.

Having come from a small farming village up in the hills, the busy streets of the capital were new and exciting, but he couldn't enjoy it too much. His family had lived in the area for generations as simple farmers, but his father had worked up quite the debt with the local brothel and he had been sold to help pay off that debt. The boy was kept on a short leash, and it wasn't until recently that he was even allowed outside without an escort, but by now his time was almost over. He'd been there for seven years already and tomorrow he'd be a free man, not that it mattered anymore.

As the boy stopped to look up at the passing clouds, stained from the rays of the setting sun, he thought about his life and how it seemed as fleeting at the beautiful petals that fell around him like snow. He was the oldest son and was meant to inherit the farm, but now it would go to his brother since he was no longer seen as fit to run it. He would never be allowed to marry or have a child, and no one would mourn him when he died. He was alone and he would never be worth anything to anyone. He was tainted.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his pessimistic musings.

"Ryou... What are you doing out here? It's getting late. It's dangerous for beautiful young men like yourself."

"Sakaki-dono..." Shishido murmured and bowed a little, "It's a pleasure seeing you, as always." The man before him was Sakaki Tarou, his most loyal patron. He saw him every night, and while he hated his job, Shishido actually found the man quite bearable. He was handsome, for an older man, and he was kind. He occasionally got rough and commanding with him, and had an odd obsession with his neck and inner thighs, but fetishes were nothing new to the experienced prostitute. "I was on a walk, I must have lost track of time..." The older man smiled and gestured in the direction of the brothel.

"Come, I'll walk you back." Together, they walked along the darkening path, lit only by the lanterns that hung from buildings. "I heard... that tonight will be our last night together." Sakaki spoke gently and in that deep smooth voice that Shishido had grown so accustomed to over the years.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do with the rest of your life?"

The question gave Shishido pause. "I...well, there is not much I can do..." He stared straight ahead. "You know as well as I do that men in this profession... when they get out, they can't go home. They can not be married." Listening silently, the older man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose I will look for work on a farm somewhere or something..." Lost in his thoughts, Shishido didn't notice his shoe had broken until it was too late. He hit the ground hard and scraped up his hands. As Sakaki helped him back up, he let out a little pained sound. The scrapes welted up with blood and he glared at them like they had just betrayed him somehow. It wasn't until a few moments later that he realized Sakaki was still holding him far too close for what was publicly acceptable. "S...Sakaki..dono...?"

The older man swallowed thickly and Shishido tensed a little. He'd seen a look like that before on Sakaki's face, but he never found out what came next. His gut told him to run, to scream, to do anything. Instead, his eyes found Sakaki's and it was over. He collapsed in the man's arms, unconscious, and they disappeared into the night. The only thing they ever found of Shishido Ryou was his broken sandal.

::::::::::::::::::::

"Shishido-san?" Over a thousand years later, a familiar voice shook Shishido out of his thoughts and the now ancient vampire smiled slowly at the werewolf trotting over to him carrying shopping bags. "I'm sorry I took so long, they were packed." The busy Parisian street was alive with the first warm night of spring and the blooming trees set a romantic mood. Shishido's life, his death, everything had been hell, but every torturous experience had been worth it since they had brought him to this moment.

"I love you, Choutarou," the vampire murmured and pulled the very surprised looking boy down into a kiss, making him blush all the way up to his ears.

Yep, definitely worth it.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! As always, it makes my day to see them! I know a lot of you are wondering what happened to Akaya... Sorry, it's a secret. Let's see if any of you can guess! I promise that all will be revealed eventually. I know that Shishido's interlude was really short, but you will definitely get to read more of what happened with him soon. Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Hiyoshi did his best to block out Gakuto's inane rambling as they walked along the grounds of Hyotei Manor towards the entrance to the main house. Well, it wasn't really a house. Usually a house wasn't bigger than three mansions put together. It was a bit excessive if you asked him. More so than even the Ohtori house in Europe. The grounds extended to over a mile, and the house itself was fit to hold numbers in the hundreds. He'd been told by Atobe that it was their line of vampire's family home, and at one time it had actually housed a hundred of their children. Of course, over the centuries, many of those weaker children had perished at the hands of hunters or rival clans. Their children's children now mostly left to wander the country, weak and unknowing of their privileged heritage. In Atobe's opinion, not fit to be called family.

Hiyoshi snorted. He couldn't care less about the bloodlines of vampires. All he cared about was the vampire who killed his own family.

"The ancient you seek. The one who killed your family. He is not of my blood."

In other words, other than the training he'd received, the monetary support, and the occasional roof over his head, Atobe was never able to truly give him what he needed. The whereabouts of Yukimura Seiichi.

They entered through the massive gold-plated iron gate, and after many days of hunting and fighting, Hiyoshi finally let his body relax its guard. He'd been reassured that nothing could enter here who wasn't of the family's blood. Though that was still yet to be seen since both he and Gakuto had no problem entering, and he'd never seen anyone else visit.

"Welcome Home." A deep voice greeted them in a low creepy drawl, making Hiyoshi's hair stand on end. Here was one of the reasons he hated coming back here. Its name was Oshitari Yuushi. "It appears our fair Gakuto was able to ensnare you back to our loving arms after all." The words may have been directed at him, but leering eyes were aimed directly on Hiyoshi's chipmunk. Hiyoshi wanted to rip the bastard's eyes out.

Gakuto, who was now draping himself all over Hiyoshi like a leech, spoke up at his side in an annoying nasally voice. "Yeah right, Yuushi. The only loving arms you've ever been in the middle of are tits and puss-." Hiyoshi quickly covered the kid's mouth before he would be tempted to wash it out with soap again, as amusing as that had been.

"Out of the way. We've been travelling all night and I just want to go to bed." His eye twitched when Gakuto bit down on his hand, taking a treat for himself as if he were a fountain. The eyes the two were giving each other as Gakuto took his snack made him feel sick to his stomach. The hunter was not an idiot, nor was he blind. He saw the way his Chipmunk looked at the blue haired demon and played his game. He didn't know what the rules were, and he didn't want to. He just knew to keep them as far apart as possible.

The blue haired menace to all chuckled, "Of course, pleasant dreams to both of you." It didn't matter what the vampire said, it always made his skin crawl.

Keeping hold of his chipmunk so he wouldn't go scampering off and make trouble, he picked the feather light vampire up around the waist in front of him and carried him up the grand staircase and down the hall. Thankfully, his pet was too busy with his treat to give him much trouble.

They arrived at his designated room on the fourth floor and went in. As always, it was spotlessly clean, the bed made up and the air fresh. Gakuto's room was next to his, doubtlessly just as clean.

He threw his belongings to the side, including Gakuto, and collapsed on the bed. Damn... he loved this bed. It was his only sanctuary left in this cruel world.

"It's too early to go to bed! We just got back!"

If Gakuto started bouncing on his sanctuary again, he would do a lot more than just break his neck this time. "Then go do something in your own room." Far, far away from me and where you can't make any more trouble.

The little body of his chipmunk laid down next to him and looked up at him with those big red eyes. It was one of those rare moments when they reflected something other than stubbornness or mischief. This was something a lot more annoying: determination.

"You should eat something."

Hiyoshi sighed. It didn't matter if he ate or not. He didn't die. Besides, everything he ate tasted like dirt compared to the memory of home cooked meals made specially for him by the hands of someone who'd loved him.

"I mean it, Piyo. You're not exactly human, but you kinda still are. Fuck. I ate more than you did when I was human and starving!"

Those chipmunk cheeks were puffed out. In a way, it was cute that he worried about him, but mostly it was just a pain. "Hmph. If you're so bored that you need to nag, go bother Oshitari."

The stubborn annoyance returned. "He's with his new bitch. I could smell her all over him." Slender cold legs tangled with his as Gakuto seemed to try and burrow into his side. The kid didn't like being alone, and often when Gakuto was around it very unlikely for Hiyoshi to have a moment to himself. Not that he minded terribly. He reached up to pet his hair, leaning his chin on top of red strands.

"Good night, Gakuto."

"I'm not tired! You know what we should do? We should go stomp down the door of that cheating, two-faced, low-life, sc-!"

"Good night, Gakuto."

"...Night, Piyo."

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Ago

The ancient vampire known as Atobe Keigo was not impressed by the once again bare wasteland of never ending darkness and fog that was his unknowing ward's mind. The bloodstains on the wood flooring of this particular scape were a nice touch. He walked through the expanse of nothingness, wondering what secrets it might hold.

In most human minds he'd entered, it was almost absurdly simple. There would be some sort of physical manifestation making it obvious, even to a dimwit, in what direction he should venture. For example, if he wanted to know a secret, all he had to do was open the door that had the word "secrets" scrawled on it in big bold letters. The boy hunter, to his credit, was a bit more abstract, if not morbid.

A young Hiyoshi, no more than eight years, stood beside him, arms crossed and looking ahead at the carnage that had been his family after their slaughter. It was not a rare thing for a person to appear in their dreams at the age which was most memorable. Even if those memories were blocked from shock of coming home to your family's mutilated corpses was not something a child should ever have to see. This was precisely why when Atobe had found him there at the scene years ago, he'd seen fit to take the memory of that image away from him. Only in his dreams did that memory still exist.

Yes, he had been there that day. As the head of his clan, it was his duty to witness the fall of the last of his maker's human line. Atobe's sire had been an original among ancients. The Originals had been an interesting and terrifying breed, able to produce both human and vampire alike. Hiyoshi's mother and her children had been the last direct descendants.

The young hunter's mother had been an exquisite example of human delight. He had known her, even fed from her, in her younger years. His maker's blood flowed through her veins, making her blood a tantalizing treat. Until she had ironically been married to a family of hunters who dated back to before he himself was one of the hunted. He could not save her, but he could save her youngest, still innocent of the father's transgressions.

"It's you." The child spoke to him. Interesting.

"Astounding observation. I am simply in awe of your skills." Giving benefit where it was do, the ancient vampire was not being entirely sarcastic. Not all human's could sense his presence and identify him. The blood of Sakaki must be strong in him, as it was in his mother.

The older and more powerful the sire, the stronger the child. Each Original had been blessed with his or her own distinct talents, and in turn, each of their children manifested and inherited one or more of those talents. Their Maker had hosted terrible psychological powers of the mind. Of his original children, there were but three remaining.

"What do you want from me?" The child asked tiredly, looking at him with wary curiosity. The boy had suffered much in his short life. Good. It would serve to make him strong and help him in the long run for what was ahead.

"I believe I already made that quite clear."

"Che. Why would you want to train me?" The doubt was clear in his voice, causing the ancient to smirk. The hunter's instinct, though unpolished, was still there. He was right to not trust him, but that would have to change.

"It is not a matter of want, I assure you. A debt is owed, and an Atobe never falls short on his debts."

"...A debt?"

Atobe's eyebrow twitched. How was he expected to have a proper conversation while in the midsts of a bloodbath with an eight-year-old? In barely a blink of an eye, the scenery of the dreamscape changed. Blood was washed away to be replaced with rich walls of lavender and gold. Crystal chandeliers hung from ornately painted ceilings and the warm glow of fire danced in the hearth. Atobe settled back with legs crossed on a fine sofa of red velvet. There. That was much better. His mind focused again on the task at hand.

"Your mother did me a kindness many years ago. She protected something sacred to me. In return for that kindness, I will do the same." He did not wish to go into it in depth. Knowledge was power, and the boy was not yet worthy of such things. "However, I find the prospect of protecting a mere human tedious," The indebted vampire snorted his distaste. "Instead, I will train you how to protect yourself."

"Are you serious?"

"Naive Boy. Do you honestly think if I wasn't that you'd still be alive?" If he hadn't petitioned for the boy's life to Yukimura, and then delivered him to that werewolf family, the young one would most certainly already be with the rest of his family in the afterlife.

The boy went silent, mulling over the path Atobe had set before him. Though mind manipulation was not his forte as it was his brother's, if the child refused him, he need never remember this once he woke.

Before Atobe's insightful eyes, the small form began to grow, changing to that of a young man. A decision had been made. "Are you strong?"

Atobe smirked. "You have much to learn, young hunter."

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Later

The children were home. The great and fearsome vampire, Atobe Keigo, second son and chosen heir of the great Original, Sakaki Tarou, had been demoted to position of babysitter.

Atobe lazily ran long talented fingers over the soft flawless skin of his golden haired pet. It was a shame he could no longer invade the privacy of his ward's mind, but since the boy's permanent separation from his old life, he'd never once removed the silver cuffs from his ears, preventing him from making any kind of mental contact. The only way for him to gauge the mental state of his chosen heir was through means of the redhead abomination.

How the young redhead had survived his turning was a miracle in itself. Atobe could only assume that the boy's first sire must have been one of his brother's wayward children. With Hiyoshi's blood being directly linked to the Original sire, perhaps that was how it had been strong and close enough in blood to finish the transformation. In any case, it was unfortunate, but the boy did have his uses.

'Gakuto, relay to Hiyoshi that I would see him in my quarters now.' He promptly ignored the mental grumblings he received in return. It did not take long for the hunter to head his command.

The door opened, allowing artificial light into the pitch black room, framing the form of the boy he'd put so much effort into over the last few decades. In that time, he'd grown surprisingly fond of the young hunter.  
"Welcome back, Hiyoshi." He received no answer in response, but it was of no matter. "Do turn on the light. I dare say, your human eyes limit you from beholding your master's prowess."

The boy rolled his eyes, but did as told. As the light touched pale skin, Atobe was only too aware of the lines under his ward's eyes and the sunken in contours of his cheeks. With a great put upon sigh, his hand raised to cover his face, eyes open and examining his frame with insightful eyes.

"You know how much I detest repeating myself, however, the reason I trained you was not so that you could waste your life making yourself needlessly suffer." Many hours, years, of honing the human's natural skills. Teaching him how to see, to hear, to fight, and to , somehow along the way, he had forgotten how to live.

"Yes, Atobe-san." The words were spoken, but void of conviction.

"Your body may have been granted immortality, but that does not mean your soul is so easily healed." Perhaps he had let this idea of useless revenge continue on for too long. He'd hoped after the first decade, the boy would eventually give up on this crusade and find a life for himself, but to no avail. "You've sought revenge enough for your family to last two lifetimes. You've not disgraced them."

"Yes, Atobe-san."

As usual, his valuable words of advice fell on deaf ears. "Have you made any progress in your quest for retribution?"

Silence reigned.

"Hiyoshi. What is the first rule I taught you?"

"Never take on an opponent in their playing field... and if you do, make sure it's on your terms." The answer was immediate. For all of his ward's downfalls, he was an excellent student.

"The wind, the water, the very earth. That is Yukimura's playing field. I have trained you well, and you are a fine hunter, but you will not win." A plain fact. The House of Sakaki had been rivaled to the House of Yukimura since before the time of history stated in textbooks. There would be no retribution for him, only an eternal existence of ongoing pain and loss if he continued this.

"Forgive me, Atobe-san. I don't care."

Atobe frowned. He would not see the last of their human family blood wasted in such a way. "You are a part of this family, and someday, you may very well be the one to carry it. Never forget who and what you are. Take pride in your heritage."

"Yes, Atobe-san."

This was tiresome. "Off with you now. Sleep well, knowing you are safe in these walls and make sure that abomination of yours stays out of trouble."

His ward bowed and turned to leave, closing the door respectfully behind him.

"Keigo..."

His attention turned down to his pet whose golden eyes were now open wide and looking at the door Hiyoshi had just left from.

"He's so sad, Keigo..."

"I know, Jirou." He ran a hand comfortingly through golden threads and thought again that perhaps his one regret, if he were to have one, had been his part in sowing the seeds that had led to the hunter living this unnaturally long life. "I know."


	7. Interlude: A High Priced Destiny P1

Interlude: Atobe

A High Priced Destiny - Part One

As a small boy, Atobe Keigo never questioned his destiny. He was born and raised in a world that was rich with culture and tradition. The Muromachi Period in Japan witnessed the development of linked verse, renga, the maturation of Noh and Kyogen dramatic forms, and the elaboration of the tea drinking ceremony. Zen monastic customs became a complex and refined aesthetic experience. A high level of perfection was expected of him by his noble family, and he never failed to live up to those expectations.

When a new guest and his son arrived at their villa one day, the young boy did not take much notice. When all of the residents of his household, including his parents, bowed down to them and called the man Master, he took notice.

After that moment, Keigo's life would change forever. The stranger's name was Sakaki Tarou and he was to become Keigo's father, his mentor, and eventually his maker.

::::::::::::::::::::

"Ryou Nii-sama," A twelve year old Keigo approached his brother after sun down and pulled on his finely decorated Kimono. Despite them both being male, their father had them dressing in women's apparel so that they would not be recruited by any of the daimyos running amok in the country. "Father is out at the brothels again. Do you know where my first Father went?"

"I haven't seen him in quite a while, Keigo... What did you need?"

The young boy attempted to look as indifferent as possible. "It's nothing of importance. I was just curious to know if he were still alive." He was well aware that his mother had been eaten a few months back by his new father. She'd forgotten that he was even her son.

His older adopted brother, that looked more like a girl than a boy, sighed softly. "Probably not."

He really shouldn't be upset by the information, and he wasn't sure if he was. The man had only ever been harsh and cruel with him, but he had still at one point been his father. As he'd been taught, he hid any sadness he might feel over it, turning his mind instead toward thoughts of what this meant for him.

A hand reached to pet his hair and Keigo looked up at his brother in his pretty women's kimono. Ryo Nii-sama was not very good at holding in his emotions as their father instructed. "Is there anything... you wish to do tonight?"

"Father gave me a reading list I'm to complete."

Ryou Nii-sama rolled his eyes. "You're twelve. You should be out having fun and playing. Come on. Let's sneak out of here, hm? We can find you something good to eat while we're out too."

The little boy's eyes widened and looked excited for a moment, but then he thought better of it and crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Father will be very displeased if we disobey him."

His brother shook his head and smiled reassuringly at him. "I can handle him, don't worry."

Keigo hesitated, and looked at his pile of books he was supposed to read, then back at his brother. Very slowly, he smiled back, then reached out to take his hand.

::::::::::::::::::::

"There is no time, son. Just bring the essentials and bring it out to the carriage."

"But Father, no man would dare-"

"Do not question me, Keigo."

Keigo was now the young and obedient two-hundred year old child of an original vampire. For two centuries, Sakaki had raised and taught him all that he knew, but now the Muromachi Period was over, and their safe haven was being threatened by warring times.

"What is the first lesson, Keigo?"

"Never take on an opponent in their playing field, and if you do, make sure it's on your terms."

"Correct. This entire nation is at war and will soon be under the complete control of Oda Nobunaga. We will return and reclaim what is ours once it is worth reclaiming."

"Yes, Father."

"I'm not going." Keigo's eyes moved to his brother who had spoken out of turn.

"Selfish child. You would leave your family, your blood?" The repressed anger in his father's voice was unmistakable.

"You're the selfish one! Pulling us away from our home against our will! How are we meant to survive over seas?!"

The second son stood quietly and expressionless in the corner. It was not a rare thing for his brother to make a fuss and oppose their maker.

"Your home is with me, and with me, you have nothing to fear. You are mine and I have made my choice. We do not have time for one of your tantrums." Keigo could feel more than see how his father looked his brother in the eyes and bent his will. "You are mine and you will do as I say."

Ryo Nii-sama's features relaxed. "I am yours and I will... do.." That stubborn expression came back. It had just been in the last century that his brother had grown strong enough to start fighting back, though he looked exhausted. "Japan is my home and I will stay and fight for it! Nobunaga may not be a good man, but he can unite this country and help to end this senseless fighting! We don't have to leave it! Soon the fighting will end!"

Their father was not all happy. He could feel the pressure filling the air as Sakaki filled his words with power and held out his hand, urging Ryou Nii-sama to go to him. "Come."

As expected, there was no choice. Keigo watched in disgust as his brother reached out to take his hand, moving into the circle of their maker's arms. "Sakaki-dono... Please..."

Sakaki pulled Ryou against him and pet his long beautiful hair. "Over the years I have allowed you to get away with many things, pretty one, but you will not disobey me this time. I only do what is best for my beloved children. Drink."

Ryou's eyes looked so sad as he bit down in their maker's wrist and drank obediently. The blood of their maker was like drug. It was honey'd wine to their parched lips and whilst under its influence made it impossible to do anything but love and obey him.

"Keigo. Once we are done here, I'm going into town for a few things. Make sure your brother is ready."

He nodded. "Yes, Father." He pointedly did not look at his brother, whose eyes were now glazing over like that of an obedient pretty puppet.

"There my dear. Do you feel better?"

His brother leaned into his father's touch affectionately. "Yes, Sakaki-dono..." Then leaned up to kiss him slowly. It had been many years past since Keigo had discovered his brother was more than just a son to their father.

"Good boy. Now, go pack your things." His father pulled away then looked to him, his youngest. "I trust you will take care of the rest of the arrangements, Keigo."

"Of course, Father."

Then, their father was gone.

His brother turned away from him to pack his things as commanded, shuffling along in his heavy kimono.

He waited another minute for their father to be gone, then went to his brother, pulling him against his chest and biting down on his neck. As quickly as possibly, he attempted to drain him of their father's blood.

His brother tensed for a moment, then wrapped his arms around him. "Keigo...?"

The younger vampire moaned and held him tightly as he fed. He was still young and the blood of their father was horribly addicting. He had to trust his brother would stop him once he'd taken enough before he drained him.

It did not take long, though his head was swimming slightly with the hit of delicious blood he'd just savored. "Keigo... Were you that hungry?"

He looked down at his brother with a look telling him he's an idiot. "Are you able to fight his commands now?" He got right to the point, not looking happy.

Ryou Nii-sama blinked, finally getting what he'd done. "Yes... Thank you..."

Keigo pulled away from him and turned his back. Hardening his heart toward his own personal wishes. "Now is your chance. If you want to leave us, then leave. You don't have much time. Go."

"Keigo..." His brother sounded truly heartbroken to leave his little brother, but they both knew he wouldn't stay there any longer. "Come with me..."

The younger of the two shook his head, not looking back at him. "My place is with Father." He kept his voice as ice, knowing that if he let it crack even a little, he would be no better than their father and force him to stay.

"Keigo, please... You're the only reason I've stayed so long. I love you... Please come with me. I'll take care of you."

His back straightened. He knew what his choice had to be. "I look forward to the day you return to your family. I'll be waiting for you."

"Take care of yourself. I will make sure you can come home to a stable and safe Japan, alright?"

He nodded, but had no more words for him, his fists clenched at his sides. His brother disappeared into the night. He would not see him again for many years.

* * *

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I am very excited to post this chapter! The second part should be up soon and with it I promise a lot more questions will be answered. If you're willing to wait for the chapter after that... a MUCH awaited question will be answered! Also, I'm kinda sad that I haven't had as many readers on this story as there were in Bloody Annoyances (or at least not as many reviewers), but that makes it even more important that I thank all of you so much for reading and reviewing! THANK YOU SO MUCH! And btw, to "Solar Powered Pandas", OMG you made me laugh so hard I fell off my chair. XD


	8. Interlude: A High Priced Destiny P2

Interlude: Atobe

A High Priced Destiny - Part Two

Sakaki Tarou and his son, Atobe Keigo, found their way to Western Europe, traveling along ancient roads through Portugal, Spain, and France. Along the way, an addition to their family was found and turned, and the doctor Oshitari Yuushi became his brother. The three of them finally settled in England during the Great Tudor Dynasty.

It was a time and place well fitted to Keigo. He revelled in the finer aspects of life. The art, the poetry, the international politics and warfare. To be sure, there was never a lack of intrigue or death. Still, there was something he lacked, and he finally started to see what it was his brother had wanted so badly. Freedom.

Ever since Ryou had left them, his father never went long without feeding him, keeping him shackled to his side. There was no thought kept private, no moment completely his own, no way out.

The 1800's brought forth the Victorian Era, which would be the jewel of Keigo's immortal life. However, before the great Queen Victoria ascended the throne, Atobe Keigo would get his one chance at the freedom he so desperately desired. Unfortunately, it would also lead to one of the biggest regrets of his life.

::::::::::::::::::::

The presence of an unexpected guest to their home drew a smirk across the vampire, Atobe Keigo's, lips. 'Welcome, Nii-sama.' He projected telepathically the moment his brother walked through the door. He could feel his brother's thoughts and presence as if it had been just yesterday since they last met, though it had been over a century.

Lounging upstairs in the ornate sitting room, he sent a maid to fetch his brother. Controlling the minds of his staff was now an easy task for him with the aid of his father's blood. His fists clenched as he waited for his brother to come, but forced himself to relax and just smile. 'To what do I owe this pleasure?' he continued the conversation in their minds.

The door opened, and his beautiful older brother walked in, smiling. "Do I need a reason to come see my little brother?" Ryou was dressed in western clothing, though he looked quite out of place in them. Atobe had half expected him to still be dressed as a woman. His hair had been cut, and he could have actually passed for an English gentleman if he weren't so distinctly Japanese.

Atobe himself was dressed in the finest silk of the Arabian traders and lounging on a sofa of dark velvet green with intricate patterns. "I don't know. Do you?" He raised an eyebrow. "My brother left nearly... how long has it been?" He stood, brushing a stray hair back perfectly into place. "You're not as pretty as him."

His brother's smile somewhat dimmed. "I left so that we could have a safe home again. It's been about two hundred years, but it took a long time to fix what was broken in the nation. It is one now. Tokugawa-dono is the shogun and things are peaceful. You both can come home now without worry..."

Taller than Ryou by quite a bit, Atobe reached to brush through his older brother's once beautiful tresses now tragically cut short, and sighed mournfully. "You fought bravely. Admirable. But... two hundred years you say? What if I'm not ready to go home?" Wrapping his arms around his brother's waist, he pressed the smaller body up against him and took in his scent, sliding his nose gently up his neck. "Mm... I missed you, brother."

Arms wrapped around him in return and he could feel his brother relax in his arms. "I missed you, too." Though he could sense worry in his thoughts.

"Don't worry... He's not here." He kissed Ryou's neck and ran a hand down the side of his body before gently rubbing at his back. "In fact, I do not expect him back for some time..." He leaned his head to the side invitingly. "You may partake if you wish. It's been so long, after all, I know you must crave it." He is constantly full of their father's blood, it's almost all he ever has since he never lets him too far off the leash.

As expected, his brother's fangs were already out and nuzzling like an addict against his neck. Fangs bit down and pierced skin, and his brother moaned as the blood he craved filled his mouth. He drank hungrily, eyes closing as his body pressed closer.

Using the distraction, and to fulfill his own needs, Atobe in turn bared his fangs and bit down on his brother's long white neck, drinking from him at a matched pace. It wasn't nearly the quality of blood he was used to... and he was slightly disturbed at the...werewolf flavor, but it would rid him of some of his father's control while still keeping him fed. Gently, he began to prod at his brother's mind, 'Relax brother, you're home... with me.'

Ryou groaned and relaxed in his arms, and Atobe could feel his mental control and barriers start to weaken. 'I'm sorry I've been gone for so long...' The light headed vampire thought to him while still feeding off his blood, not quite able to bring himself to stop just yet.

'It's in the past. We have an eternity ahead of us.' When his brother did not attempt to block his mind, he further soothed him. He could feel Ryou was withholding memories from him, but paid it no mind. Instead, he gave them a further nudge, closing them behind a mental door, so to speak, where even Ryou would not think about them unless he put effort into it. Backing them up to the couch, he pulled his brother down to straddle him. To an onlooker, it would have just looked like two teenagers necking.

By the time they both pulled back, he could feel through their connection that his brother's mind was nice and supple, his vision spinning, his body tingling. Without thinking about it much, Atobe's hands began to stray. His brother nestled against him like that, drunk on the mix of him and their maker was quite the fetching scene. For the first time, he understood why their father was so fond of him in bed.

Smiling at him, he brushes beautiful brown hair back and experimentally leaned forward to kiss him lightly. 'I have a toy for us to play with...' He mentally called for Gerard, who entered the room just a moment later. A very good looking human boy, completely in the nude and void of expression. He could be no older than in his teens, and smelled of their maker. 'Shall we celebrate?' The human was his own personal bento boy his father would feed his own blood to, and then leave behind to keep him fed.

His brother nuzzled against him affectionately, then looked at the boy as if ravenous. It was obvious that his brother was still hungry despite just feeding. The boy's blood was delicious and warm, and Ryou's inhibitions were already clouded from the blood. He didn't hesitate in the slightest once the boy sat down beside them, purring as he took one of the boy's arms and sinking his fangs in to drink deeply, moaning at the flavor.

The sight was quite... stirring. Carefully, he lifted his brother from his own lap and placed him in Gerard's. Ryou went obediently, crawling on top of the boy who had slid sideways down onto his back and attacked his neck. While his brother enjoyed his snack, Atobe stroked his hair and spread the legs of his dinner. Getting into position, he penetrated the boy, moaning quietly as the boy's warm cavern took him in without complaint while kissing up his brother's back. It felt good, deliciously good, and he shared that pleasure with Ryou through their connection.

His brother's moaning caught his attention and he looked up as his brother turned around and stared at him with those glazed, lust filled eyes. Suddenly Atobe was being pushed back and his brother was stripping and lowering himself on top of his cock. "Ahh..." His brother's moans were almost as addicting as their maker's blood.

Growling roughy, Atobe took hold of his brother's hips and began to shift up inside of him. Soon they were both moaning and drinking off each other again, humping and fucking. Prolonging their pleasure as long as possible and then doing it all over again, for what felt like hours.

When it was over, and all that was left of them was the aftermath of their pleasure, Atobe looked at his euphoric brother, no doubt still on cloud nine from all the blood and sex. Using that opportunity, he placed their heads together, knocking him gently into pleasant unconsciousness.

He let himself fall as well, joining his brother on his own playing field. It was in the land of dreams, where despite his brother's years, Atobe had the upper ground. He opened his eyes again in his brother's dream world, curious of what he would find. Asleep and filled with their maker's blood, his brother should be pliant enough to do what he needed to do.

The dreamscape was bright with the rays of the sun shining down on them. He found his brother laying in the grass beside a long forgotten lake, dressed in a beautiful expensive kimono of the time he'd been born in, watching the cherry blossoms fall.

Approaching him slowly, he called out. 'Hello, brother.' and kneeled down beside him, placing their lips together and kissing him softly.

His brother acted in kind, kissing him back warmly and smiling. "Keigo... I was waiting for you..."

Atobe smirked and laid down beside him, running a hand over his kimono and easily finding the opening, gaining access to his thighs to stroke and play with. "You were?"

The skin on his brother's cheeks flushed pink, in a way that would not be possible for a vampire in the living world. "Yes... I knew you'd come see me today, though I'm not sure why... It must have come to me in a dream..."

"Yes... A dream." He continues to stroke him gently under his robes, feeling along fine warmed skin. "You've had your fun brother, and now I'd like the opportunity to have mine." He stared intently into his eyes. "Which is why you're going to stay here..."

It seemed as if Ryou was practically melting under his touch and gaze, moving toward each caress. "I'm going to stay here...with you?"

"Something like that..." He smiled, urging his mind to relax and just accept his words. "You're going to stay with Father in my place... just for a little while." He leaned down to softly kiss his lips.

"Mm... You're going to leave me...?" Slender arms wrapped around him.

"Shh... I would never leave the family. There is nothing I care more for." He nuzzled his brother's neck. "You're going to help release me from my prison... as I released you... remember?"

"I remember... You were so sweet..." Ryou nuzzled against him, then his expression changed to worried. "You're not going to go fight are you? You mustn't!"

"No, I'm not going to fight." He nibbled on his neck. "I'm going to live."

"Mm..." The drugged dreaming vampire moaned and relaxed. "Ok... You'll be happy? I want you to be happy, Keigo..."

"Oh, yes... I'll be happy." He kissed him softly again, then stood, leaving a double of himself behind in his place in his brother's mind. "Enjoy your sun, brother. You look beautiful in the sunlight." With that, he disappeared back into the waking world.

He needed to be quick. Atobe only stopped briefly in his room to change. It would not do for him to go out in public while covered in the results of previous activities, his vanity would not allow for it. The first step out of his cage was sheer bliss. Where would he venture to? Perhaps back to Germany, or France. He had particularly enjoyed France. The Americas were strictly out of the question.

"Keigo... May I ask where it is you're off to so far from home?"

No... But it had been perfect. How could his father have... "Merely out for a stroll, Father. I assumed you would want some time with your elder son. He's home for a visit." He would scream profanities if he could.

"Excellent. Then it would be I who would assume that you would be planning a grand celebration to welcome him home. Itte Yosh!"

There was only one choice left to him. "Please, Father. I ask only for some time, a year. I implore you..." His vision began to fade and he knew... he would never have his freedom.

When consciousness returned to him, they were back at the manor. It might have only been a few minutes. The room they were in was just as he'd left it. The human boy his father had left for him lay dead on the couch and his brother was still trapped in the dreamscape he'd placed him in.

"Wake him." Sakaki instructed.

"Yes, Father."

Ryou woke with a groan, obviously still completely intoxicated by the blood. His body moved languidly, taking in his surroundings, then blinked at the two of them. "Sakaki-dono..." He licked over a fang slowly.

Sakaki smiled, making Atobe's stomach churn. "Come, pretty. It is time for our reunion." He held a hand out to his eldest.

"Yes..."

Obediently, his brother moved forward and took the hand of his father who brought him close, running a hand through Ryou's short hair with a disappointed look. "You cut it... Bad child. For leaving your father, you will be punished."

"Punished?" Ryou pouted, sliding his hands over Sakaki's chest slowly.

"Yes, pretty. You are to be cast out of the family. No longer will you have access to my blood, and no longer will you be under my protection." Atobe's eyes widened, and his stomach dropped. There was nothing he could do. "But in doing so, you will be depriving me of a beloved son, therefore, I will deprive you of what is yours." He watched as his maker waved a hand over glazed eyes and he knew instinctively what had happened. Their father had taken away his brother's memories of his human family, locked them away in the depths of his mind. He might remember glimpses of his human life, but he would never know agan his parent's faces or any love they may have given him.

Ryou slumped against him, shaking. Even in his state, he understood what had happened. "No-no..." His brother's head lifted to stare at him with panicked eyes, then they rolled back as he collapsed. His mind had been messed with more than he could handle for one day.

He watched as if in a daze himself as his father placed Ryou on the couch and brushed back his hair. For the last time, he leaned over and kissed his eldest's forehead before standing. "Keigo. When he wakes, see to it that he leaves. You have once before, I trust you can do it again." There was a terrifying moment as his father turned to him, and he thought perhaps he was to be punished as well. "I will warn you, if you try to leave your father again as this one did, you will suffer an even worse fate."

He had no time to contemplate these words. The moment his father left the room, he ran to his brother's side and held him to his chest. Never... never had he felt such failure, such guilt. "I'm so sorry..."

It took a few days before the blood high wore off and Ryou woke again, never once did Atobe leave his brother's side. With all that had happened, his brother's mind was plagued with sadness and nightmares which Atobe did his best to push back.

He woke with a groan and sat up slowly. Blood tears already running down his usually stubborn face. The punishment had been harsh, and even though Atobe knew his brother had never liked their maker, he was still their Master. Being thrown away by him would be like a stake to the heart.

The moment their eyes met, Atobe knew things would never again be the same between them. His brother's eyes told him that he knew exactly what he'd done, they showed betrayal and hurt. Still, as guilty and horrible as Ryou's punishment was, he could not bring himself to feel guilty for attempting to have a turn at freedom. The freedom he would now never have.

"I need clothes." His brother mumbled, voice indifferent.

Atobe snapped his fingers and a moment later the girl who had let Ryou into the mansion entered the room with a wash cloth and laid out a set of clothes for him. Ryou had come hoping he would not be making the long trip back to Japan alone, but instead he would be alone from now on.

He wanted to reach out to him, console him, but he knew well that his brother would no longer accept it from him. 'Someday...' Atobe thought to his brother. 'Someday, we will be free, and we will be a family.' Someday when their Master was gone and passed, and Atobe himself became the head of the family.

'I hope that is true.'

::::::::::::::::::::

"I will be returning to our Mother country to find my remaining children and reclaim our home. I will send for you once everything is arranged."

After Ryou had been cast out of the family all those years ago, Atobe had given up all hopes of ever leaving this cage. He schooled his expression not to react. "Yes, Father." It had been centuries now since they left Japan, and he'd long since assumed his father no longer harboured the intention of going back.

A moment's freedom at last. With Oshitari as his only company, they saw their maker off and waited for his return.

Years passed and news never came. Two atomic bombs were dropped. They could only assume their maker had been among the many to perish. Atobe Keigo's homeland was in shambles. It would now be his duty, as Sakaki's heir, to reunite and protect their family line. He was finally truly free, and he would find his brother.

Together, he and Oshitari travelled back to Japan, back to their roots to reclaim their ancestral home. The house in which Atobe once lived had been completely re-built, supposedly by their Father. However, the children who lived there were mostly young, mere shadows of the power their father reigned over. Slowly, the weaker descendants began to scatter, and those who did not inevitably died in the clan war.

Trouble had found them. Another vampire clan with a strong Original moved into their territory and claimed it as their own. The house of Yukimura.


	9. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Ever since he'd been made, Shishido had never been much of a killer. Even in his youth, he preferred to hang around battlefields. He liked battlefields. Plenty of blood to feed on and putting mutilated soldiers out of their misery. During the very few times in history that Japan hadn't been at war, he'd fed on thugs and murderers. It was easy enough, picking through people's heads to find the rotten ones that deserved death more than others. However, anyone who made his Werewolf lover cry was going to die a long, slow and painful death.

They'd been hearing rumors lately, traveling through the supernatural grapevine, that a hunter was making trouble. There were very few hunter families left, and the ones that still remained were not nearly the threat their predecessors had been. From the gossip flying around, this one might actually be a problem.

That wasn't what bothered him. Shishido had been hunted before and almost killed by hunters a lot more bloodthirsty than he ever was. If this new hunter wanted to go around and make a name for himself, Shishido could care less as long as he didn't go near his werewolf. No, the problem was the name itself. The rumor was that it was a hunter from the Hiyoshi family.

As far as he was aware, all of the Hiyoshi line was dead. The last to fall had been Hiyoshi Wakashi, just over thirty years ago. Hiyoshi Wakashi had been his child's mate, and his own mate's best friend. For him to still be alive was impossible. He'd gone to the site of the hunter's death himself, and though he'd found no body, the sheer amount of blood left no other option. Even if he was alive, he'd be nearing his fifties. Still, he had to be sure.

"Hey, Choutarou. I'm uh, I'm planning on going out tonight. I need to go talk to someone about Hiyoshi and see if he's heard anything." The ancient was not excited about this at all, but he knew it had to be done. Ugh. The things he did for his love.

"Do you think... Do you really think he could still be alive, Shishido-san?" Sad brown eyes asked him for the umpteenth time. Choutarou had been close to tears for the last three days, ever since they got the news.

Shishido rubbed at the back of his neck. He hated it when Choutarou looked at him like that. "I don't know Choutarou. That's why I need to go check."

The warm body of his lover stood behind him. Knowing hands took over rubbing his neck and lips met the back of his head. "Where are you going to check?"

"Mm..." Shishido worshipped those hands. "My brother's house." he got out with a grumble.

To his dismay, the neck rub stopped and Choutarou leapt in front of him. "Your brother? You have a brother?!" His eyes were full of stars and Shishido almost choked.

"Sort of..." This wasn't going to end well for him. "He was made by the same guy I was. I helped raise him... but now he's an ass." But his brother also had another annoying trait. He knew everything about everyone. If anyone could tell him about this new hunter, it would be him.

"But... if he's your brother... does he know about me?" Shishido's mate of thirty years looked at him expectantly. He could practically hear the worry in his young pup's head. 'I've been so rude... All these years... and I've never even once sent him a family Christmas card!' "We should bring a present when we visit! What does he like?"

Shishido sweat dropped. "I don't know." He shrugged. "Feasting on the souls of the innocent? I haven't talked to him in a long time, and the last time we met we didn't part on very good terms..." To put it lightly.

Choutarou's eyes widened to twice their size. "Oh... Um... If he's your family though... I'd like to meet him. May I come?" He gave him the big brown puppy eyed look. It worked every time.

"Fine." Damn it. "But, if you see a guy with blue hair... avoid him like the plague." He shuddered just thinking about his other younger brother. "He's a horny evil bastard."

He was rewarded with such a blindingly happy smile that if Shishido still needed to breath, he would have forgotten how to do it. It was a good thing he didn't, too, 'cause then he was being smooched. Those tended to last a long time.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Ago

It had been many months since Hiyoshi had started his training with Atobe. First it had only been in the recesses of his mind while he slept, but now it was also at night. He spent days at a time away from home, learning the true nature of being a hunter.

Atobe was a good teacher. Vain and demanding, and sometimes unreasonable, but it was worth it. He learned to strategize, to corner, and to kill. He adapted to his surroundings and learned the psychology of how to out-think his opponents, how to read their minds and moves through body language. It did not matter if his opponent was faster if Hiyoshi already knew how they would strike, he only needed to be fast enough to either dodge or use it to his advantage. He learned many things, but there was still so much more.

Sporting a few new cuts and bruises, Hiyoshi's feet dragged behind him as he entered the house. He had been gone for almost a week this time. It was still too early for Akaya to be awake, and he didn't have the energy to look and see if he was there. Throwing his bag on the floor, he collapsed, exhausted, onto the couch, and instantly fell asleep. Only, falling asleep meant to once again resume training in his dreams.

The next thing he was aware of were a pair of arms holding him, carrying him somewhere. His eyes barely opened to see the fuzzy outline of a person and closed them again when he knew who it was. "I'm home..." he managed to murmur with a small satisfied smile before falling right back asleep.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before he woke up again to find the silhouette of his vampire lover hovering over him. "Hi."

"Hey..."

Hiyoshi smiled despite the grumbly tone his boyfriend used. He pushed the blankets back and reached a hand up toward him, silently requesting Akaya to come closer. He heard Akaya sigh and put something down before he laid down beside him.

"Do I know you?" Was the sarcastic question, even as the cold body snuggled up to him.

"You better. I traveled all day so I could be home by tonight."

"You've been gone for over a week."

The young hunter yawned, impatient for Akaya to get over it already so they could just enjoy being close again. "Sorry, I would have been home sooner, but I was busy trying not to die while training to hunt things that were trying to kill me." His voice was no less sarcastic than his needy boyfriend's.

Akaya was quiet for a long moment, then held him a bit tighter. "We need to find a way to keep you from dying..."

Hiyoshi chuckled and wrapped his arms around him, trying to warm up cold skin. "Mm... I thought that's what I was doing. Training so I don't get myself killed."

"Your training is nearly killing you."

"At least I'm beating the odds? I've killed a lot more of them than they have of me." As usual, his horrible attempt at a joke fell flat and Akaya pouted at him. Sighing, he slid a hand into the familiar mop of hair. "What do you want me to say? That I'll stop? You know that's not going to happen."

"I know..." The vampire mumbled, "but there's gotta be a way."

"A way to what? Not get killed? Che. How about I kill all of them first?" He liked that idea. Every kill was like coming one step closer to avenging his family.

Akaya shook his head. "I'm scared... Maybe if we talk to Ryou? He'll know what to do."

Hiyoshi didn't like that idea at all. "I don't want to depend on him every time some little thing comes up."

Akaya seemed to ponder for a moment, then suddenly perked up. "We could talk to the witch!"

Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "A witch." He quoted, deadpan. "You want me to talk to a witch." First off, he hadn't been aware that witches actually existed. Second, why the hell would he want to meet one?

"Yeah, someone told me they'd be able to help!"

The hunter was very curious about who this "someone" was, but that was not the major point at the moment. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been killing a lot of supernatural things lately, and now you want me to go ask one for help?"

"As a precaution. Yeah."

"No. I don't think so." Not feeling so tired anymore, he got up to get ready for the night. He really needed a shower, and some food, and probably to feed Akaya.

Akaya sighed and followed him around as he got ready to take his shower. "It would mean you could be like me and not die, without having to be a vampire."

That made no sense. "How?" he asked incredulously.

"We just have to pay the price, whatever it is. That person told me the witch could tie your life to mine, and I'm not going to be dying anytime soon."

Hiyoshi's eyebrows screwed up into his forehead oddly. "I think you watch too much television." Yes, his boyfriend was a vampire, and he'd learned a lot over the past year, but what he was suggesting sounded even more unlikely than usual. "I'm going to take a shower." He didn't want to hear anything else on this subject.

"I'm coming, too!" Akaya stripped down as he walked. "But it's true, you know? Witches are really powerful."

Hiyoshi smiled a little to himself, glad that Akaya would be joining him. "Then why would we want to talk to one? Wouldn't that be risky?" He peeled off his own day old clothes, placing them neatly in a pile by the washroom.

"Nah, not if you don't piss 'em off."

Hiyoshi turned on the water and waited for it to warm up before getting in. Amusedly, he wondered if Akaya had ever pissed one off. The cleansing water was heaven. "Give me one good reason why I should."

"So you can stay with me forever?"

He had to admit, that was a pretty good reason. Though, he'd never wanted to live that long, hadn't even planned on living past a couple months ago. Forever was a long time. "I'll think about it." He sighed and leaned down the small amount it took to kiss him, enjoying the lips he hadn't tasted in over a week.

Akaya's arms came around his neck, kissing him back warmly, obviously happy to have him home. Why bother thinking about things like life and death when he was content for the first time to live in the now.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Later

Shishido Ryou approached the family house with his mate at his side. Choutarou was staring in awe at the enormity and impressiveness of it. Keigo had apparently thought the already huge place needed expanding since the last time he'd been here. He knew it wouldn't take long for his brother to notice his presence once they passed the gate. Not bothering to knock since technically it was his home too, he'd barely gotten a few steps in before he heard his mate squeak.

"Ryou... I'm stuck!" The werewolf wriggled around, trying to get free. "Um... help?" His cute little smile and plea were adorable.

Shishido sighed. He'd forgotten about that. "It's okay. It's just the barrier. Here." He bit down on his wrist and offered it to him. "You have to drink a bit of my blood. Only family is allowed inside."

His wolf was obviously not very happy about the idea, but leaned down to lick at his blood trustingly. The barrier let go of him right away and he fumbled in. "Sorry, Love." he murmured softly. Vampire blood was not very good for werewolves. "But hey, look at it this way. You're technically family now..."

"Is that your way of proposing?" Choutarou teased as he leaned on him, trying to get his bearings back.

The ancient vampire would have so been blushing if he wasn't, you know, dead. "You're going to get a much better proposal than that..." he grumbled. "You deserve the best..." He'd been putting if off for a long time, too long.

A deep resonating voice dripped down the winding staircase, into the grand foyer, creeping over black and white marble flooring. "Welcome home, Shishido." The tall man with handsome features and dark blue hair came toward them, looking Shishido's were-pup up and down as if he'd just found a new toy. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your new... playmate."

Shishido's eye twitched. "He's not my 'playmate', he's my partner and mate. Keep your nasty hands and eyes off of him!" He added in a little growl for emphasis. Oshitari Yuushi may be a strong and capable brother, but he wouldn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

"Choutarou. Ohtori Choutarou. It's very nice to meet you." His sweet Choutarou..

"Ohtori-kun..." the blue haired vampire drawled his name out like a purr. "May I call you Choutarou? We are family, after all. Please, call me Yuushi."

Choutarou looked so happy it made Shishido want to stomp his feet like a pouting child. "Don't call him Choutarou, you pig!" He growled again, this time not on purpose. "Where the hell is Atobe? I got something to ask him."

"Tsk tsk. Forgive my brother's impatience, Ohtori-kun. He's never been gifted in the art of formalities. You are truly a light in this dreary home. Please, let me escort you to the sitting room." He gestured for them both to follow, obviously enjoying himself immensely.

Shishido wanted to gag at the flowery creeper talk, and made sure to stay between Yuushi and his blushing pup. He took Choutarou's hand and squeezed it. He was HIS damn it!

'Is this the blue haired person you were talking about? He's your brother, too?' Choutarou's voice reached him mentally. 'He's... um... very charming...'

"Thank you, Ohtori-kun. I find you very charming as well." Yuushi turned and winked at HIS Choutarou.

Shishido's eye twitched. "Sorry, Choutarou. Forgot to warn you that mind powers run in the family... and yes, he's my brother too, unfortunately."

"You wound me. I've always treasured our brotherly bond." Despite his words, the bluenette did not sound even a little bit "wounded". He opened the door to the sitting room and held it open for them. "Now if you'll both excuse me, Priscilla is waiting." He bowed and walked back down the hall.

When Shishido walked into the spacious sitting room complete with ornate tapestries, crystal chandelier, and gold edged furniture, he did not immediately find the person he was looking for. Keigo was lounging on a large, royal purple velvet sofa in the middle of the room that completely dwarfed him. He was on the phone, something about pool remodeling for the coming summer. None of this surprised him, but the golden head that rested in Keigo's lap did. The small form of a boy looked completely comfortable, getting his hair stroked as if he were a cat.

Keigo finished his instruction to the person on the other line, then hung up the phone. His eyes turned to regard them as if they had been expected. "We have company, Jirou." The boy in his lap barely moved, only nuzzled against him slightly. "And he brought one of his filthy mutts."

Shishido tried to resist the urge to punch him. "Who the hell is that?" He eyes the boy.

His brother raised a well plucked eyebrow. "Nice to see you again, too, Ryou. Please, don't bother to inquire over your family. I know that you've made your own. From the flea bitten species of mutts you prefer to grace with your presence, no less. Oh, and that rebellious child of yours. So unworthy, he didn't even inherit our families natural talents."

Shishido, the ancient vampire and older brother of this pompous brat, gave him a withering look. "And you wonder why I don't visit more..." He grumbled. "Fine, whatever, just tell me. Is Hiyoshi Wakashi still alive? I've been hearing rumors about him."

Choutarou beside him tensed, though he wasn't sure if it was from the awkwardness of their family reunion or in anticipation of the answer.

"Did you hear that, Jirou? My brother has returned, not to apologize for his lack of family loyalty, but to inquire over a long dead hunter line."

The boy sat up in Keigo's lap and nuzzled against his chest, placing a little kiss over his heart before turning to regard them with sleepy soft brown eyes. Elvish features stood out on his young face, pointed nose and high cheek bones. He couldn't have been more than in his early teens, if he was human. Shishido couldn't tell, which was weird.

"I have nothing to apologize for. Now answer the damn question so we can get the fuck out of this place." Ever since their maker had cast him out from the family, he had no want to be anywhere near the place. Even though Keigo had asked him back after Sakaki-dono had left, he still never felt right being back there.

Choutarou spoke up beside him. "Please... If you know anything..."

Kiego turned his eyes on Choutarou for the first time, eyeing him as if he were nothing but an insignificant flea. His pup's eyes rolled back and Shishido had to rush to catch him before he hit the ground. "Fucker..." he growled, holding the love of his life close protectively. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He'd had enough of this. He picked his pup up, which was kind of difficult since he was so damn tall, and started back toward the door to leave.

"I don't discuss family business in front of outsiders. Don't worry, he's having pleasant dreams. Walk out that door and I guarantee that will change."

That was a threat. Shishido stopped and glared at his brother. "He is my family."

There was a tense pause. Keigo lifted his hand up to his face as he'd made a weird habit of doing when assessing people. Finally, he spoke again, right when Shishido was about to roll his eyes at him. "Very well. Jirou, attend to young Ohtori. He is family and will be treated as such." He stood and gestured for Shishido to place him on the couch. "I wish to speak with you."

He'd given up that one fast. Whatever Keigo wanted to talk about had to actually be important. He placed Choutarou down gently on the couch, but stayed beside him. "No one is allowed to touch him. He is mine." There was no way he would leave him alone here. "We can speak right here."

Keigo was clearly not pleased with this. "Some information has come to me involving your child and possibly the future of our family should this business not be dealt with. I advise you follow me."

Shishido frowned. "Involving Akaya? What has the idiot done now?" He shifted uncomfortably then looked down at Choutarou and sighed.

"Your mate will be fine with my pet. We must speak in private with Yuushi."

Ugh. He finally nodded and leaned down to kiss his mate on the forehead before standing. "Alright, let's go."

To his surprise, Yuushi was already waiting for them in the billiards room. The youngest of the three tossed a cue stick to him which he caught easily as he entered. The other was handed to Keigo as he rounded the table.

Shishido smirked. This was his game. He was the best at this out of all of them and he knew it. "So anxious to get your ass kicked, Yuushi?" As much as he bitched about them, he had to admit that his brothers did know him well. This was Keigo's calculated way of getting him to stay and hear him out since his brother knew he wouldn't leave until he'd won.

"You assume, Ryou, that I would not enjoy it. That is, getting... kicked."

Ugh. Shishido shuddered. Yuushi somehow had a way of making anything sound dirty, even something as lame as that.

"Yuushi. Quiet. Since our brother is obviously of the mind to abandon us once again, we will get straight to the point." Shishido rolled his eyes and broke. "As you are aware, the Yukimura clan has been in this area for quite some time now. Until recently, I could find no reason why they would have migrated to our territory. Even after we fought them with the aid of the Hiyoshi hunter clan, and Yukimura's own child was tortured by the Hiyoshi clan head, Yukimura himself still remained." Keigo took his turn and banked one ball. He hit another, but missed the target hole.

Shishido listened and nodded. Those were not years he wished to remember. He'd seen no point in a clan war over territory, so he'd left. Hiyoshi Wakashi's father had been a strong and cruel hunter. He'd killed many of Yukimura's lesser children, and horribly tortured one of the original's direct blood line. In the end, the entire hunter family, save one, had been killed for it. Still, what did this have to do with him? "What does any of that have to do with Akaya?"

"Did it ever occur to you that Yukimura arrived just a little after your child did? Did you ever wonder why your child never inherited our family's blood privileges?"

Shishido shrugged. "Yeah, what of it?" He always just kinda figured he got lucky since the idea of Akaya having control over people's minds was terrifying. He hadn't thought that one through very well back when he turned him. He wondered why Keigo was even bringing this up. He'd never cared about Akaya before at all.

"After some extensive investigation on my part, I have reason to believe that your child might have actually been a human son of Yukimura Seiichi himself. You have, in essence, stolen his child." A large crack rang through the room as Yuushi took his shot, but no one looked.

The oldest of the three paused and looked at Keigo with the skeptical expression he wore quite often. "You think Akaya was a human child of Yukimura? Why the hell would you think that?"

"I have ways of gathering information." The familiar knowing smirk spread across his younger brother's smug features. "I believe he must have somehow learned of his existence, and then came here looking for him. However, since you chose to not take part in the battle, neither did your child. Hence, they never met."

His sense of dread grew. He thought back to all those years ago, trying to remember what Akaya's father had even looked like, but he couldn't picture a face. The more he thought about it though, the more it made sense. He remembered keenly the way Akaya's human blood had drawn him in, attracted him, tempted him. Shit. "If he is, what do we do?" He may not be his biological father, thank the gods, but he was still Akaya's sire. They were blood bonded as close as any father and son.

"There is nothing we can do. The situation is, as of this point, out of my hands. The best you can hope for is that they will never meet. I will not have more of this family destroyed for the sake of your mistakenly turned child." Perfectly styled hair fell over Keigo's eyes as leaned over the table, managing to sink two balls.

"I understand," and he really did. He loved Akaya, but he couldn't ask his brother's to sacrifice anymore because of his mistake. The only thing he could do was pray that Yukimura and Akaya never crossed paths.

"You spoke of the Hiyoshi clan?"

The sudden question jolted Shishido out of his thoughts. "Yeah, the survivor, Hiyoshi Wakashi was the mate of my child. When there were reports of his death, I had to fulfill my blood oath and seal away Akaya's memories of him. But, if there is a chance he's still alive..." He sank half the remaining balls with one shot, missing the sideways glances both his brother's gave each other.

Keigo took his shot, but did not sink a single ball.

Yuushi, in turn, made a brilliant play, hitting nearly every ball on the table, but didn't actually sink a single one. "Mating with the surviving child of a hunter family that was killed by the Yukimura clan? Your child likes to live dangerously." The bluenette grinned.

"So it seems." Kiego added flippantly, obviously annoyed that he was losing.

"He follows his heart. That's all. I raised him right." He sank another couple balls, amused at how bad his brother's were at this.

Keigo frowned, then shook off the expression, throwing his head back and running a hand through his hair. "Then I suppose he knows all there is to know about the heart, yet nothing of loyalty." He placed his cue down and walked toward the door. "There is only one thing left in this world which I care about, that is this clan. You may bring your mate here for protection, even Yukimura would not be able to pass these walls, but that is all."

"Thanks, Keigo." Shishido finished off the table as his brother walked toward the door, "I appreciate it. I know I don't deserve it." The eldest of the three leaned back against the table and stared at the white cue ball, blindly examining all of the blue chalk marks that marred the heavy ball. His brain started comparing the cue ball to his life and he shook himself mentally. He really was getting old of if he was starting to think in cheesy ways like that.

"He misses you." Yuushi commented, standing beside him once Keigo had exited the room.

"Why? All we ever do is fight." He grumbled.

Yuushi shrugged. "You're our brother. Family is important to him. We are all that remain who remember our maker. The only ones who truly understand each other and our timeless existence." He smirked. "Bring your cub to Christmas."

"If you touch him, I'll rip you apart, Yuushi. Family or not." Shishido turned and put a hand on his chest, smiling dangerously, then patted it. Walking away, he called over his shoulder. "See you at Christmas!"

He walked back to the other room to pick up Choutarou just in time to see his mate being nearly pounced on by the mystery boy.

"I'm Jirou! I'm Keigo's pet! Do you like chocolate? I'll share mine if you want." He broke it in half and handed it to his mate. His poor pup looked groggy and half awake.

"I'm sorry... Chocolate isn't very good for me. Thank you though..."

"Hey there. Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"Shishido-sa-!"

The boy interrupted his mate's call by bouncing up off the couch and propelled himself at him, hopping up and down in front of him excitedly. "This is so cool! I finally get to meet you! I'm Jirou!" Small dangly arms wrapped around him, crushing his arms to his side in a hug.

"Eh?" Shishido awkwardly tried to pat his back. "Jirou.. You've been looking forward to meeting me?" That was weird. Considering he hadn't even known the kid existed until today.

The golden-curled boy nodded ecstatically. "Of course! You're Keigo's long lost cause, oops, I mean brother. Heehee... That makes you my Nii-chan! He talks about you all the time, and says I shouldn't talk to you too much or you might infect me with... uhh... what was it called... Oh well." He smiled up at him.

He could feel Choutarou being very confused, but he wasn't much better off. "Uh huh. Sure thing, kid..."

"Jirou. Come away from there and let him leave." Keigo appeared at the door. "That is, after all, what he wants." The boy skipped away and hung on his brother's arm.

Shishido looked at Keigo and sighed. "Look... I'm sorry, alright?" He mumbled and looked away. "I know I haven't been a good brother..." He hated doing this in front of Choutarou and Jirou while Keigo just stood there watching him silently.

The boy, Jirou, jiggled his brother's arm. "It's okay, Keigo. He said sorry, right?"

Choutarou's hand slipped into his and some of the tension left him and he squeezed it back gratefully.

Keigo's nose rose higher up in the air if that was even possible. "See you at Christmas, Ryou." He turned and walked back out the door.

Jirou smiled wide. "See? He forgave you."

"Come along, Jirou." The boy waved and skipped away.

Shishido snorted and smiled a bit. "You wanna come back here for Christmas, Choutarou? Seems we've got an invite."

Beside him, his pup squeezes his hand. "Sounds good to me. I think we can afford to take a holiday or two off from my family."

Shishido smiled and kissed him. "Love you."

"Love you more!"

"And no, we're not sending out Christmas cards."


	10. Interlude: Your teeth look funny

Interlude: Kirihara Akaya

Your teeth look funny

Kirihara Akaya sighed as he began clearing yet another table. The tea house his family owned had been very busy lately. Well, busier than normal. Being one of the few tea houses on the Tokaido road, they were never short of patrons. His grandparents had been lucky to settle there. There weren't too many stops on the main road that connected the old and new capital, but there was a never-ending line of travelers.

Japan wasn't the peaceful country it had been when his grandparents opened this place, or so he heard. There was talk of war, which he was inclined to believe with all the warriors hurrying through, and bandits had become more ruthless. People were wary to travel at night.

It was a nice day out. Akaya wistfully looked outside before taking the dirty dishes to the back to wash them. It wasn't that he disliked all the business, it was good for his family. His parents seemed more at ease with the raise in income, but he wanted time to be outside again. He missed running around with the other kids from the village, and sneaking off to the stream that was a little ways from town.

After the dishes had been washed, he went around to the tables again, making sure no one needed anything. He went and got refills for the workmen sitting in the corner before making his way outside. He stopped and took a deep breath, loving the smell of the crisp air. It was just after sunset, and the nightly chill would be setting in soon. He went over to the group of old folks before quickly going over to two women he recognized from the village. Those old people kind of creeped him out. Since they sat down, they had been talking about some earthquake that killed over 300 people. Why would someone want to sit around and talk about death for an hour?

As the women from the village began asking after his mother, he noticed a young man around his age walk in and sit down. He didn't think he'd seen him around before. He was trying to be polite, otherwise his mom would scold him again, but he couldn't help but glancing at the stranger from the corner of his eye. He was shorter than him, and slim. The man had delicate features, and if his hair hadn't been cut short, then Akaya probably would have mistaken him for a girl. What really made him stand out though was how he held himself. His sat up straight, confident, and the way he moved was graceful and fluid, unlike Akaya's own slumped shoulders and awkward manner.

The women finally sent him on his way, saying they were keeping him for too long, and he turned only to be waved over by the pretty man. As he walked over, he did his very best not to do anything stupid, like blush, or fall on his face.

"C-can I help you, honored sir?"

He could feel himself warming, a blush wanting to make its way to his face, but he firmly held it down. Did he really just stutter? Ugh, maybe he was turning into a girl. The stranger just asked for a tea, and Akaya quickly turned and walked as quickly as he could back inside, not seeing the amused smirk on the handsome man's face.

Huffing, he began making fresh tea for the patrons left. 'Come on, Akaya! Get it together! He's just another guy! Stop blushing like a little girl!' He nodded to himself, thinking he could do this. All he had to do was go out there and pour the stranger some tea.

He walked slowly to the door, took a deep breath and raised his head, and then walked out to the stranger's table. He set the tea cup on the table and poured the tea before giving a small bow. Yes! He did it! He didn't blush or anything!

After serving the others outside, secretly happy that those old folks were leaving, he went to go back in when he saw the stranger wave him over again. He couldn't help but let his eyes travel over the man's features, stopping at his lips, his smooth neck, his slim shoulders.

The man had a hint of a smile as he asked, "Do you have space for another person?"

Akaya jumped a little, surprised. The man's voice was gentle, yet something about it hinted at power, and made Akaya feel warm.

"Yes, honored sir, how long would you be wanting to stay?"

"Until I decide to leave."

He was a little confused by the strange answer the man gave him, but he bowed politely before hurrying off to get the man's room ready. A blush finally stole over his face as he thought of that man staying in one of their rooms. Maybe he could get to know this mysterious stranger a bit better while he was here!

::::::::::::::::::::

Months went by and the stranger was still there. Luckily, Akaya was able to stop blushing at every thought of the other man, and they even become friends. Well, at least, he thought they were friends. There were a lot of things he didn't know about the man, like why he was there, or why he never wanted to eat anything. At least he'd learned his name. It was Shishido Ryou.

Shishido wouldn't tell him where he was from. He kept saying he was from many different places. He was so confusing sometimes. Akaya could never find him during the day, either. It was so frustrating! They were friends, right? He always told Shishido every detail of his day, never holding anything back. He even told the brunette the embarrassing things! Like that one time that he was swimming in the stream, and one of the village girls walked up so he got out to say hi, but he forgot he wasn't wearing clothes, and she ran off and told her mom!

He huffed as he finished up his chores. It wasn't fair. He wanted to know more about Shishido. After almost a year, he was pretty aware of his feelings. He had figured out pretty quick that he wanted to be more than friends with the other boy. He wanted to kiss him, touch him... maybe even more. He liked everything from Shishido's gruff and sarcastic comments to his rare smile.

As he finished wiping down the last table in the almost empty tea house, he smiled. Oh well. He could be frustrated later. Right now, he was going to visit Shishido! He ran up the stairs and threw open the familiar door as he did every night.

"Good evening, Shishido-sama!"

"Hey, brat, how was your day?"

Akaya smiled as he went to flop on the floor at the low table Shishido was at. He asked the same question every night. He began his usual recount of everything that had happened that day. He held back a smile when he saw the other man's eye twitch a couple times. He knew he got on Shishido's nerves, with all of his questions and his endless talking. It was kind of fun, though, watching the brunette hold back and just listen to Akaya talk.

He was just in the middle of telling him about this warrior who had fallen asleep in his food, when it happened. He'd been leaning back on his hands and happily talking, when he was cut off. By lips. Shishido's lips, to be exact. His eyes widened as he felt a hand slip through his curls. Shishido was... kissing him?

That's it. He was done holding back. If Shishido was kissing him, then he was basically giving Akaya permission, right? With that thought in mind, he jumped, pushing Shishido to the ground and took over the kiss. He had months of frustration to let out.

::::::::::::::::::::

It was a hot night, and Akaya had gone down to the stream to try and find some relief from the heat. He loved coming out here, floating on his back in the cool water, listening to the cicadas. Every now and then he heard a frog croak.

Today had been slow. Not many people liked traveling this time of year. His parents had told him to spend the day with his village friends. None of them had wanted to be outside though, so he had spent most of the day wandering through the small forest that lead to the creek.

It was starting to get dark, but he wasn't quite ready to go back yet. He wondered if Shishido would be worried. He smiled as he thought about the brunette. The past few months had been great. Akaya still visited him every night, but their visits had taken a.. sexual turn since Shishido had kissed him. The older man had taught him a lot. He was becoming quite good at sex, if he did say so himself.

He closed his eyes, thinking about that slim body, those soft lips, that soft yet gruff voice moaning his name. He quickly stood up in the stream, deciding it was time to go back. Just thinking about those things made him hard. Hopefully the walk back would help so his parents wouldn't notice anything.

Walking back, he took a few deep breaths, enjoying being outside. He had always enjoyed being outside. The air wasn't crisp anymore, as it was when he first met Shishido. It had been almost a year and a half since then. The air was heavy, humid, and everything seemed to be moving slow.

He was almost back to the tea house when he heard a blood curdling scream. Panic instantly set in, and he started running. He threw open the doors and froze, unable to believe what he saw. His father was laying on the floor, and he could see a dark puddle seeping out from under him. There were three men, bandits, walking towards where his mom was huddled on the floor.

"Get away from her!"

He reached down to pull out the dagger he carried around with him. His dad was hurt. He had to hurry before they hurt his mom! He vaguely heard Shishido's voice telling him to get out, but it sounded like it was from a long ways away. All he could think about was those thugs, trying to hurt his family. He rushed forward, dagger raised, and heard a loud noise. He stumbled, and pain like he had never felt before rushed through him. That had been a... gun? They were illegal.

He slumped to the floor, eyes cloudy with pain, so he didn't see Shishido snap the thug's neck like it was paper, or his mom passing out as Shishido laid her on the floor. The next thing he knew was his head laying on Shishido's lap, and all he could think about was how the brown eyes he knew so well, were strangely red. He saw those pink lips moving, and he tried to focus on what he was saying.

"-diot... Why didn't you listen to me?"

Soft hands began running through his hair. He closed his eyes. They felt nice.

"S... sorry... Shishido-san..." He tensed and groaned as a spasm went through him. Blood was pouring from his chest, and it was getting harder to breath. He looked at Shishido instead. He'd much rather look at Shishido. Something was weird though. Not only were his eyes red, but two teeth were poking out, and looked really sharp. "Your teeth... look funny..."

He watched as those red, though still so familiar, eyes rolled and the brunette shook his head. He saw a flicker of pain cross that beautiful face, before Shishido was talking again. He tried focusing again. "-ou want to live? I can give you eternal life... but it will be hard and lonely..."

He was confused. Eternal life? Maybe Shishido was one of those demons the old folks liked to tell stories about. It would make the red eyes and pointy teeth make sense. He'd never really thought about death. Living forever... but it wouldn't be lonely. He wasn't ready to give Shishido up. He tried to smile through the pain as he replied. "How will it be lonely if I'm with you?"

The brunette's jaw stiffened before he bent his head. Akaya felt those sharp teeth cut into his skin, and let out a whimper. It hurt, but he tried to keep quiet and still. He already felt weak from the wound in his chest, but now he could quickly feel his life slipping away. Was Shishido going to kill him?

He was on the edge of unconsciousness when he felt a light touch on his lips. He could feel something dripping into his mouth. He heard a gentle voice in his head telling him to drink. With his last bit of strength, he closed his mouth over the arm in front of him and began to drink. He could feel something washing over his tongue and down his throat, and a sharp pinch at his neck made him open his eyes. All he saw was darkness. How long had he been laying here. Was it already the middle of the night?

No... this was more than just night time darkness. This was the kind of darkness you had nightmares about. It went on forever. Now matter how your eyes tried to adjust, all there was is darkness. The kind that light could not penetrate.

Drink.

A gentle caress through his mind. Someone kept repeating the word. He knew that voice. Shishido?

He wanted to see him. He needed to get back to him. He was going to save him, right? He said they were going to live forever. He couldn't let Shishido live alone for that long!

All of a sudden, his vision came back. It was bright, too bright, like it was the middle of the day. His body was no longer numb, but vibrating with energy. The blood in his mouth tasted like the best thing he had ever had. He reached out and grabbed the arm he was feeding from, holding it to his mouth, not wanting to lose that sweet taste. He groaned when a pulse of pleasure shot through his body, originating from his neck. Shishido was there, taking his blood as Akaya took the brunettes'. He thought nothing would feel as good as sex with Shishido did. He was wrong.

He didn't know how long they sat there, sharing their blood. Eventually he felt Shishido pull back, licking at the wounds on his neck. He slowed his drinking, but he didn't want to stop yet.

"Akaya, stop. We need to leave."

He furrowed his brows. He didn't want to stop. It felt too good. Shishido said they needed to leave, though. Maybe he would find out what the heck just happened. He felt energized, refreshed. Even though he had just been shot. He pulled back, licking the brunette's wrist like he had felt Shishido do to his neck. He watched with wide eyes as the cuts healed right up.

"S-shishido-san... what-"

"Not now. We need to go."

He glanced up and Shishido was gone. He was just there! He glanced up when he heard someone moving around upstairs. Was that Shishido? He could hear him as if he was in the room! His head jerked towards the stairs, his eyes just catching up with Shishido as he got to the bottom, and then he was standing before Akaya. What... Why was he so fast?!

Shishido cut him off again before he could start with his questions. "We are going to my old home, I will explain everything then. We have to get there before sunrise."

He nodded numbly, still not really understanding, but trusting. He watched as Shishido went to where his mother was slumped on the ground. He hadn't noticed before, but he could hear her heartbeat, and her gentle breaths. With trepidation, he looked to where his father was. He felt his throat tighten up as he kept back his tears. He couldn't leave. What would his mom do without him?

Shishido stood before him again, gently turning his head away from his father. "Your mother is fine. There is nothing I can do for your father." A steady hand landed on his shoulder, giving comfort. "I'm sorry, Akaya."

"Will... what will my mom do when she wakes up, and I'm not here? She..." He trailed off, not wanting to voice his fears.

"I've rewritten her memories. She won't remember you. It will be easier for her."

He sniffed, trying his best to hold back tears. His mom wouldn't remember him? He walked over to her, kissed her forehead, and stood. He wiped his eyes before turning to Shishido. He didn't know what was going to happen now, but he knew Shishido would take care of him. He was Akaya's new family. He could feel it.

"Let's go."

* * *

Author's Note: I am very excited to note that this chapter was a joint venture with my Beta and I think she did an amazing job! Huge thanks to her for all the help in writing this chapter. The next chapter will be out shortly, and it's one I'm sure many of the readers have been looking forward to! Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Another day past. The sun dropped out of the sky, inviting creatures of the night to come out and play, and indeed some of them did like to play. As Atobe's eyes opened to challenge the night, wisps of spun gold framing an elvish face came perfectly into view above him. "Kei~go..." Tiny, naturally pinkish lips, smiled.

That smile had powers all it's own. It painted a beautiful picture within that sun-touched frame, and the light of it shone out through brown eyes touched with golden specks. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Atobe sought closeness by sitting up and bringing the golden head into his lap. Perfectly manicured fingers gently cascaded down the body of his pet, over his chest and sides, relishing in the beauty of it's small form, and the pleasing contrast of his pale fingers against sun bronzed skin.

"Good evening, Jirou. And what shall be our game today?" This boy was his pet, his toy. The sole existence that no one would take from him and he would not share. He'd watched his father and maker manipulate and play with the minds of so many, yet he would never allow himself to be like that man. This was the only creature in this world whom he could and would play with, even hold power over. Like a miracle, this boy had chosen it. This boy had come to him, even after he'd cast him away.

"Hiyo-chan."

Ah. That game. It had been so many years now, a century even, since it all began.

He could only assume that once his father had arrived back in Japan, he had taken a human wife of sorts. From that union had come a daughter. Right before the war, before the Yukimura Clan had sought to enter his territory, he had met her. Hiyoshi Nanami, or better known to him then as Sakaki Nanami. Her blood was as enticing as she was beautiful and she had not feared him. The silver cuffs her son, Wakashi, now wore prevented him from claiming her against her will, and yet, she had trusted him.

Perhaps his father had actually loved that woman, or else he would not have made such a weapon of defence as those cuffs to be given to his human child. As fate would have it, the sole fruits of that union fell trap to the petty emotion called love, to none other than the son of one of the last strong hunter families in Japan.

A hunter family kept many secrets, and one of them had been the boy kept locked in a cage. Even after all this time, Atobe did not know the origins of his lovely pet, and could only guess where his gifts and eternal youth came from. How many decades, or even centuries, had Jirou been trapped in the home of hunters, kept barely alive. Nanami learned of his existence and would not have it. In an act of defiance against her new family and husband, she had come to him for help, and together they found a way to release him.

It was only for the love her husband held for her that the cruel hunter spared her. Later, the Hiyoshi's even joined his clan in a temporary truce to fight against the children of the Yukimura Clan whom had invaded their territory. It had not been his wish to see Nanami and her family destroyed as they had been, but a hunter's bloodlust rivaled that of the most bloodthirsty creatures he had ever known.

Even after the war had ended, forced to a halt by heavy casualties on both sides, the Hiyoshi hunters had, unbeknownst to all, kept a souvenir of sorts. Yukimura's own human child had been kept, captured, and tortured. Then, he'd somehow escaped.

With the hunter's location revealed, and one small mistake at the hands of an innocent boy, the Hunter family's fate was sealed. There was nothing Atobe could do without the risk of starting up another clan war. Nothing, but give into his pet's pleads, and beg for the life of the one innocent child who'd held no part in it. A boy with his father's strength and his mother's disposition.

"There is no more I can do for him." He had already gone to great lengths, training and protecting the boy. Even tricked the boy's mate into going to a witch and sharing his immortality with him. If he had known then what he did now, perhaps he would not have made the same choice.

"But... There's gotta be something! We could go get that guy he liked! Then maybe he won't want to die anymore!"

This was not the first time Jirou had asked this of him, but there were numerous reasons why this option was out of the question. If somehow Yukimura found his brother's child, and recognized him as his own, then there was a chance that their family would once again be in jeopardy. If Kirihara Akaya was found to be the mate of the surviving son of the Hiyoshi family, and that he had been trained as a hunter by Atobe himself to kill him... No, he could not chance it.

"Unfortunately my dear, according to my brother, there had been some sort of promise and he has blocked the brat's memories of our Hiyoshi." A very convenient fact he had only recently come to discover.

Jirou sat up, his lips tilted in an expression as if to say 'so what?' "So? We can still go get him, right? He might even be able to make Piyo-chan smile!"

Atobe shook his head. If there was a way to make his ward smile, he would have to find another way. For them to be together again would only bring further death and misery. He wanted nothing more to do with other clans. He would remain closed in this house, with his pet safely guarded, and let them take what they wanted, so long as they left them be. Atobe would never allow the chance of his pet's discovery. If Yukimura somehow learned of the weapon he carried, there was no telling of what would happen.

"Hiyoshi will never seek out happiness for himself, not until he judges that he has properly avenged his family."

"Okay. Then tell him he can't. Then he'll give up, right?"

The regal vampire laughed. "An important lesson to learn Jirou: Never tell a hunter he can't kill something."

Jirou's eyes twinkled as they always did when he made his master laugh. "I MEANT, if he really couldn't do it... Like... if the guy he wants to kill was already dead, maybe he would forget about it and be happy again!"

At first, Atobe was about to reply at how ridiculous the suggestion was. However, there was a certain amount of possibility in the idea. Of course, there was very little chance of Yukimura's death, however... there was a much greater chance of Hiyoshi never being the wiser. Indeed, if it were impossible for him to complete his self-imposed revenge, then he might very well finally live his life again in the present instead of the past.

"Come here, my pet." He held his hand out to the boy and let him rest against his chest. The boy loved the sun and would play in it all day on the mansion grounds, then he would stay with him during the night, never leaving his side, even while fast asleep. Jirou grinned and snuggled up to him, closing his eyes contently.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Ago

Training. All Hiyoshi could do was train. With his family's murderer still out there, that was all the vengeful martial artist could think about, focus on. Was it only a few months ago that he'd finally met the killer face to face? He had given up all hope. His reason for living, the death he had longed for, it had all been taken from him. He'd failed.

Things were different now. There was hope, and however small it was, it was still there. He was becoming a true hunter, just as he was always meant to be. As he would have been long before if his family had lived to teach him. For reasons still unknown to him, a dreamwalking vampire with connections to his mother had entered his life and become his teacher and mentor.

Now all his dreams were filled with mental preparation, learning everything he needed to know. How to fight, how to kill, how to strategize.

His nights of training were for the physical, schooling his body how to move, how to react. Most days he found himself wandering, looking for any clue of something he could hunt, to gain experience. He wasn't so foolish to think he could take on an ancient like Yukimura by himself just yet, and thanks to Akaya, he wasn't suicidal enough to attempt it anyway.

Even though he was home today, he was still fast asleep as the sun set. Time had no meaning in the world of dreams. His time of learning while his body rested was more important than… Shit. Akaya was going to kill him if he slept through half the evening when he was actually home.

"Wakashi..."

Damn it… They were just getting into strategizing how to kill vampires based on their age. The topic was actually rather fascinating when you theorized the logistics of it. In theory, it would be easy to kill Shishido, if only someone could get close enough to him without getting their brain fried. Shishido relied too much on his psychic abilities. The jostling was rather insistent.

"Mmgh…" He groaned a little and forced his eyes open, remnants of chastising still in his head at him leaving their session so rudely. "Akaya?" he questioned, voice still laced with sleep, taking a minute to remember when and where he was. "What?"

"Food will be ready in a few minutes." His boyfriend said in a grumpy tone, obviously trying not to eye his neck. "You ok...?"

Hiyoshi sighed and forced himself to sit up, rubbing a little at a sore shoulder. Either he'd pulled something yesterday or he'd slept funny. "I'm fine. Just another long night training session with Atobe," he yawned, "I didn't mean to sleep that long." He never felt very rested after a training night, which is why he only was able to do all nighters when he was at home and didn't need to be fully awake and alert during the day. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Oh...ok..."

It took Hiyoshi a minute to get out of bed. He had a headache, but the smell of good food coming from outside the bedroom was a strong enough incentive to get him moving. He only took the time to put on a pair of black of sweatpants and ran a hand through his hair to straighten it out before going out to find Akaya and his breakfast.

"Good morning," he said tiredly, approaching him from the back and placing a light kiss on his shoulder before going to sit at the table.

"Morning," Akaya answered and dished up the hard boiled eggs, hash browns and bacon. It wasn't a fancy breakfast, but it was definitely going to be good. Akaya would never feed him anything that wasn't five star quality. After placing the food in front of him, his boyfriend took a bottle of bagged blood from the fridge and sat down across from him to sip at it. Was it just his imagination or did Akaya seem... disgusted? He'd never seen him look like that about bagged blood before.

His own food looked amazing. He always missed Akaya's food whenever he left. The plate had barely been set in front of him before he reached for it to dig in. "Mm…" He made a noise of delicious satisfaction in the back of his throat. It was times like these he truly appreciated his lover. Not until the third or fourth bite did he look up and pause, fork halfway to his mouth. "Why are you drinking that? You should save it for when I leave." It was probably a bad sign that he even hated it when Akaya drank bagged blood instead of from him. It was perhaps the most deranged way of being possessive in existence. He couldn't help it.

"You're tired." Akaya explained, "I don't want to wear you out even more..."

"I'm not so weak that I can't handle feeding my boyfriend after a night of training. Especially after he just fed me such a good meal." Besides, as a hunter, he needed get used to it. The training wasn't going to go away anytime soon, and neither was Akaya. "Put that shit away."

Akaya smiled a little as he put the bag away, then sat down again, "How's the training goin' anyway?"

The young hunter sighed heavily at the question and his fork sank a little along with his chin. "It's good, but it's tiring. I'm not complaining, I only wish I were capable of more. Humans are weak." The words were said as a statement, almost bitterly. He'd been shown time and time again by both Akaya and enemies, just how weak he was. It forced him to be smarter, tougher, he could never complain about that. Though… he still couldn't help but think sometimes how much easier it would have been if Akaya had just let him die that day. The day he was sure he was meant to.

"Well, yeah... but..."

There was no "but" about it, and as one of those weak humans, he didn't want to hear it. When Akaya didn't finish the sentence, it was only more apparent how right he was. Still, the way his vampire boyfriend looked at him with that sad, pathetic expression sufficiently zipped his mouth shut.

Maybe it would be a good idea to stay home for a few days before going off again. The rest would be good for him, and he knew very well that he owed his lover some of his time. He finished his meal, completely clearing his plate, already feeling good about his decision.

Once the dishes were all done and cleared, he turned back to his vampire and wrapped his arms around him. "Your turn. Let's go into the other room?" Preferably somewhere he could comfortably sit. "Do you have any plans for tonight?" If so, then he definitely needed to be somewhere Akaya could just leave him if need be.

Akaya seemed to melt into his arms in relief and shook his head. "No. Called the restaurant yesterday. They're doing fine without me."

Hiyoshi grinned and led him towards the bedroom. It didn't matter that he'd probably technically had plenty of sleep, the bed felt so nice to lay down on, especially with Akaya in his arms. He reached up to stroke a hand through ebony curls. "I bet some of your regular customers wonder where the prize chef ran off to."

Akaya laughed, though it was a much weaker laugh than usual. "You're the only customer that matters to me..." The vampire nuzzled him gently.

"Che. I better be." Hiyoshi sighed, comfortable with Akaya's weight on top of him. Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't taken the time to see him very much lately. "I… haven't been a very good boyfriend lately… have I." It wasn't a question. He wasn't very good at being open about his feelings as Akaya was, and he knew he had a tendency to take the vampire for granted at times. It was too easy though with how good of a job Akaya took care of him. The responding silence was all the answer he needed. Damn it.

The truth was, there were more important things he needed to focus on right now, but… Akaya was important to him, too. Reaching up with his free hand, he removed his silver cuffs that were his protection against supernatural creatures with any kind of psychic and/or mental abilities. However, it also had the effect of cutting off the psychic connection he had to his lover.

Unpredictably, there was an odd pop in his ears as their connection flooded his senses, making him dizzy. Every time he took his earrings off, it was like a wave of warmth and affection covered him, reminding him he was no longer alone. He could feel it's soothing effect on his lover, too. Had it always been this strong? Somehow… it felt different. "I promise, I'll get stronger. I won't have to be away for so long. I'll find that bastard. Then… I'm all yours." He meant every word, and Akaya would know it.

To his relief, Akaya's smile was already back full force as the vampire clung to him tightly. "Okay!" It was so nice to feel his presence after what seemed like an eternity. Sometimes, after wearing the cuffs for so long, he forgot how important their connection was. To both himself and Akaya.

"You know… I'm impressed. For someone so impatient, you're actually very patient with me." He turned his head to the side to offer his neck.

"I'm learning..." Akaya grinned, looking very proud of himself, and nuzzled against him. "Mm... I love being able to feel you... I miss being connected like this..." His boyfriend's voice was soft against his skin and it sounded like he could barely get the words out before instinct demanded he feed.

Hiyoshi's eyes closed and his hands grasped Akaya's hair and forearm tightly at the initial bite, but then relaxed again just as quickly. "I… miss it… too…" A part of him wanted always to be connected to Akaya, but it was too dangerous. A sigh escaped him at the familiar adrenaline rush and euphoric feeling that came with being slowly drained by his lover, his body craving to be even closer. A leg lifted to cross over the back of Akaya's while his hand buried itself more forcefully in his hair.

"A—akaya…" This was the time, the only time, when he allowed himself to be so vulnerable. He almost craved that feeling of trusting his life so completely to another, only to Akaya. His face turned to bury in those curls, breathing in deeply.

Doubt or thoughts of escape never once entered his mind. However, Akaya's rather animalistic moans did not escape his notice. He was acting as if... he'd been starving, but that didn't make sense. Then again, very little made sense when it came to them. It was such a strange feeling. The intense want to just let everything go. He knew that if this were how he died, if Akaya's restraint failed or he just wanted rid of him, Hiyoshi would have no complaints. Glazed eyes found Akaya's again and he smiled. "Kiss me?"

Akaya didn't say a word. He just pressed their lips together.

It was only three days later, after kissing his lover goodbye for the last time, that Hiyoshi Wakashi left for the hunt, and was killed.

::::::::::::::::::::

30 Years Later

"Yukimura is dead."

It was done. Everything was over. His purpose, his very reason for carrying on all these years... gone. The shock had been okay, when it hadn't quite sunk in yet. He couldn't feel anything, just like any other day. It hadn't seemed real. Then after shock came anger. How dare he. He'd survived for over a thousand fucking years, perhaps more, and the bastard chose now, NOW to die. He wouldn't even be allowed the satisfaction of knowing his final moments, seeing pain and fear on the monster's face. He'd never been given even a glimpse, a thread, a miniscule part to play. It wasn't fair.

Next came the depression. He was nothing. Just the sad, pathetic child-hunter who'd wasted his time and given up the love of his life for a failed revenge that ended in a deplorable mockery. There was nowhere for these feelings to go, no one to take them out on. He could kill and kill and kill... and rid the world of every last vampire remaining... and it still wouldn't give him what he wanted. It wouldn't give him Yukimura Seiichi. It wouldn't give him his family, and oh god... it wouldn't give him back Akaya.

There had to be a way to die, for good this time. All his past attempts had been half-hearted. For instance, he'd never tried burning himself alive or getting his head chopped off. Both of these would be very difficult to come back from. Perhaps a bit hard to pull off on his own, but he'd learned to be a bit more imaginative these last years, especially when it came to death. He longed to feel nothing, to just be nothing. He wanted to finally be rid of the pain that sizzled in every vein, so much more potent than anything physical.

There was a pull on his pant leg. Stopping, confused, he looked down. A branch had caught on his pants. Where was he? Oh... he was still on the Sakaki grounds. The gardens were pristine, Akaya would have been jealous and claimed his garden was better.

He broke. Tears fell freely from his eyes as he collapsed on the grass. "It's not fair... It's NOT fair... GOD DAMN IT, IT'S NOT FAIR!" His voice carried on the winds and was lost. Pointless.

There was a tree, a beautiful Sakura, away from the others in the center of one of the gardens. It would be so easy... He broke off branches and placed them around the base of the tree but it wasn't enough. He took more dry wood from other bushes and added them as well. The difficult part would be to chain himself to it and then light it. He contemplated the mechanics of it for a moment. Hmm... lighting it would best be done first. The matches he used to burn vampires were conveniently in his pocket. He lit one and threw it on the branches. Now for the tricky part. Before the flames got too large, he jumped into the middle of it, swinging his silver chain around the tree hard enough to wrap around it a few times, pinning himself to the bark. He smiled. Perfect.

Fire licked at his heels. It hurt. Yes... if he could just concentrate on this pain, it would be a relief. Soon he would be screaming. The pain would be agonizing and perfect, and then done.

"HIYO, NO!"

His smile dimmed and his eyes opened to red locks and matching red eyes. His child. "Go back. I don't want you to see this." As if he were telling him to turn off the channel.

"FUCK THAT SHIT!" Gakuto jumped in and clawed at the silver. "OW! No! No!" He could see the bloody tears rolling down the chipmunks face, and at least a small part of him felt bad.

"Move," a voice drawled from behind him. The word was a demand and his redhead's eyes went blank as he jumped back and out of the fire. The hunter was thankful. It would be an even crueler irony if the last person left he cared about were to die trying to save him. He didn't notice the blunette, holding his child out of harm's way, nor the other ancient walking up closer to the flames. His eyes were already closed, smiling through the pain. He would not see his family, this he was sure of. They would not accept him after his failure. The best he could hope for was oblivian, and he welcomed it. No... He wanted hell, if that was where Akaya would end up someday, he would suffer an eternity of hell's fire to just view his beloved even once.

Why wasn't he screaming? What was taking the fire so long? His eyes opened again and golden brown looked back at him worriedly. "Keigo says it's not time yet. Don't be selfish."

The hunter's eyes crossed, the words not making sense. Wasn't he dead? He fell forward as silver chain fell the ground, clanging loudly in his ears. More pain. "I want to die."

"Too bad!" Small arms wrapped around his middle, his chipmunk. He didn't have the strength or will to hold him back. Gakuto made things harder, he should never have let him come so close to his heart. He did not need the weight of leaving yet another person behind.

"Find him, Hiyoshi. Go back to where you began." Atobe's voice cut through his thoughts, and he focused on the words. Find Akaya? Akaya... his Akaya. "If you find him again and afterward still crave only death, then I will see it done." He wanted to see him. Every fiber of his being rang with the want, the need. Just one last glimpse. He at least deserved that, right? No, he didn't deserve it. Akaya would be the same, unchanging, his bloody annoyance. Akaya didn't remember him... he might even try and kill him as he almost had their first meet- As he should have done.

He was going home.

THE END

To be continued in... "Bloody Mess"

* * *

Author's Note: Oh my gosh... Is it done? YES. Well, this part anyway. A HUGE shout out of thanks to my beta RikkaiDaiLove! This never would have come so far without her help and encouragement. Also, of course to the reviewers! I know that second parts are always the hardest to get through for readers. So much go-between and back-story. Thank you so much for sticking with me. Hopefully the next part will make up for it. Please look forward to the next part coming soon in "Bloody Mess!"


	12. New Story Posted!

New story posted!

Story Order:

- Bloody Annoyances

- Bloody Days

- Bloody Mess

Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
